Pope Francis prayed for Mary's intercession and asked for her guidance in bringing peace to a world torn by conflicts and wars during a prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica.
The synod secretariat has gone to extraordinary lengths to encourage each member into a disposition of openness so that maybe, just maybe, the Holy Spirit can act.
When we see a spectacular athlete praying in public, we can see her as a sort of athletic Christian soldier, a “counternarrative” to a godless culture or shallow world—and miss the simple, moving experience of the athlete, who is Christian, who is praying.