Pope's Intention

Pope Francis asks for our prayers for a specific intention each month. You are invited to answer the Holy Father's request and to join with many people worldwide in praying for the montly intentions.  The Pope's monthly intentions can be found on the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.   Click here to learn more about the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.
 

July - Social Friendship
We pray that, in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship.

June - The Beauty of Marriage
Let us pray for young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of a Christian community: may they grow in love, with generosity, faithfulness and patience.

May - The World of Finance
Let us pray that those in charge of finance will work with governments to regulate the financial sphere and protect citizens from its dangers.

April - Fundamental Rights
We pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis.

March - Sacrament of Reconciliation
Let us pray that we may experience the sacrament of reconciliation with renewed depth, to taste the infinite mercy of God.

February - Violence Against Women
We pray for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded.

January - Human Fraternity
May the Lord give us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions, praying for one another, open to all.

Pope Francis – July 2021

The Bible says that whoever finds a friend has found a treasure.
I would like to invite everyone to go beyond their groups of friends and build social friendship, which is so necessary for living together well.
We especially need to have a renewed encounter with the most impoverished and vulnerable, those on the peripheries. And we need to distance ourselves from populisms that exploit the anguish of the people without providing solutions, proposing a mystique that solves nothing.
We must flee from social enmity which only destroys, and leave “polarization” behind.
And this isn’t always easy, especially today when part of our politics, society and media are bent on creating enemies so as to defeat them in a game of power.
Dialogue is the path to seeing reality in a new way, so we can live with passion the challenges we face in constructing the common good.
Let us pray that, in social, economic, and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship, men and women who always hold out a helping hand, and may no spaces of enmity and war remain.

Pope Francis’ July Prayer Intention: Social friendship – We pray  that, in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and  passionate architects of dialogue and friendship. 

In the heart of summer, these are long and lazy days for many of us. There’s time for rest, vacation, swimming, and barbecues with family and friends. In these sunny days and starry nights, our backyards and front porches can feel like the safest and best places to be.

In July, Pope Francis asks us to pray for social friendship: “that in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects.” In the Gospels, we see Jesus reaching out to draw all people into the Kingdom of God. He meets with Greeks and the poor, visits with lawyers and Pharisees, dines with women and sinners and Samaritans.

Even in these summer days of rest and recreation, we’re invited to open our circle wider—to welcome someone new or to meet old friends in new ways.

Fr. Joe Laramie SJ
Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (United States)