Catholic bishops offer prayers for royal baby

, Jul 23, 2013 / 11:10 am MT ().- Catholic bishops in the United Kingdom offered their congratulations and prayers for Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, upon the birth of their first son, the Prince of Cambridge.

“The birth of the new prince will be a source of joy not only for the royal family but for the peoples of the United Kingdom and beyond,” Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, the head of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said July 23.

“I assure their royal highnesses of the prayers and best wishes of the Catholic Church in England and Wales for their new family.”

The baby boy was born Monday afternoon at St. Mary’s Hospital in London. His name has not yet been announced.

He is third in line to become the monarch of the United Kingdom and head of the Anglican Church.

“May Our Lord Jesus Christ bless and protect them, and may the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph intercede for them,” Archbishop Nichols said.