The Apostolic Nunciature in Thailand called on Catholics in the country to offer Masses and prayers for Pope Benedict XVI who died on Saturday, December 31.
In a letter to Church leaders in the country, the Nunciature expressed its “profound gratitude for all the prayerful even that will be undertaken.”
Thailand, which has an estimated Catholic population of 300,000, has 60 official Catholic churches.
The first pope to visit Thailand was John Paul II in 1984. In 2019, Pope Francis visited the country as part of his Asian tour.
Pope Benedict XVI was not able to visit Thailand but was reportedly an admirer of the statue of the Virgin Mary at St Anne’s Catholic Church, Samut Sakhon, the largest such image in Asia.