Pope Francis Jokes He Is a 'Pharmacist,' Is Rx for Church Attendance - East Idaho News
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Pope Francis Jokes He Is a ‘Pharmacist,’ Is Rx for Church Attendance

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Getty 111813 PopeFrancis?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1384805967629ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images(ROME) — It was another classic “Pope Francis moment” in St. Peter’s Square this weekend, as the new pontiff joked with the crowd gathered out his window that he was a pharmacist who was prescribing prayer while aides handed out rosary beads packaged to look like medicine.

“I now want to suggest a medicine,” he told the crowd, holding one of the boxes containing rosary beads.  “‘What?’ you ask, ‘the Pope is now a pharmacist?'”

The warmth of Francis seems to have had a ripple-effect throughout the church, as attendance at mass and confession has increased anywhere from 12 percent to 20 percent in countries around the world, according to a survey by England’s Sunday Times newspaper.

The paper surveyed 22 Catholic cathedrals in England and Wales and found a 21 percent increase in attendance at Mass. They also cited surveys in Italy that showed 51 percent of priests reported a rise in attendance and Spain, where there was a 12 to 13 percent increase.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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