Pope Francis would like to see more priests taking turns being on call all night for emergency spiritual care of the sick and dying.
He believes the upcoming Holy Year of Mercy is a perfect time for an increase of the number of priests available for this work.
As a Jesuit priest, Fr Jorge Mario Bergoglio belonged to such a special service.
This was supported by the Federation of Priestly Emergency Services, an organisation of laypeople in Argentina and Ecuador who drive and accompany priests on their night-time calls.
In a July 27 letter to the federation’s president, Pope Francis wrote: “The coming extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is a good occasion for intensifying the collaboration between pastors and laypeople in the mission of supporting with affection and tenderly assisting the sick and dying.”