A view of Monaco hospital, March 27, 2005,
where Prince Rainier of Monaco, 81, was taken into intensive
care.
Monaco's
Ailing Prince Gets Papal Blessing
VATICAN CITY, MARCH 28, 2005 (Zenit) - John Paul II, himself
convalescing, sent "a particular blessing" to Prince Rainier III of
Monaco, who was hospitalized with a severe chest infection, the
prince's palace reported.
The 81-year-old prince, Europe's longest serving monarch, was
hospitalized at the principality's Cardiothoracic Center on March
7.
The Pope, wrote Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Angelo Sodano
in a message addressed to the prince, "is united to Your Highness
in thought and prayer, expressing his best wishes for your
health."
"Entrusting you to the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the Pope
prays that the Lord will give you the consolation and support of
his grace," he added in the message.
Prince Rainierhe has ruled Monaco since 1949. He married American
actress Grace Kelly in 1956.
Princess Grace died following a car crash in 1982. She is buried in
the crypt of the 19th-century Monaco Cathedral, which overlooks the
Mediterranean.
