Vatican City, Nov 7, 2019 / 10:39 am
In St. Peter's Basilica Thursday, Cardinal Sean O'Malley asked American bishops to pray for the grace to make a profession of faith, hope, and love at the tomb of St. Peter before meeting with Pope Francis.
Cardinal O'Malley, the archbishop of Boston, and the other bishops from New England are in Rome for an ad limina apostolorum visit - a pilgrimage to "the threshold of the apostles" - in which they are meeting the pope and curial officials to discuss the state of their dioceses.
In his homily in the crypt of the basilica, O'Malley touched upon some of the problems currently affecting American Catholics.
"Today many people have lost hope. It is one of the reasons that people are not having children, turning to drugs, and seeking thrills," he said.