The Vatican\u2019s Dicastery for Communication has launched a new prayer campaign in which Pope Leo XIV invites Catholics to pray with him for the great challenges facing the world.<\/p>\n
The \u201cPray with the Pope\u201d initiative is part of the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network, which, during the pontificate of Pope Francis, launched the project known as \u201cThe Pope\u2019s Video,\u201d through which the faithful were invited each month to unite in prayer for a specific intention.<\/p>\n
Continuing this mission, the new campaign not only invites people to pray but also offers a specific prayer from Leo XIV, who will present his monthly intention from a renewed perspective, encouraging an intimate and serene experience with Christ.<\/p>\n
Transforming life from within<\/p>\n
According to Jesuit Father Cristobal Fones, international director of the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network, who presented the initiative Jan. 7 in Rome alongside Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, the initiative proposes \u201ca shared inner experience that aspires to transform life from within.\u201d<\/p>\n
The focus of this new phase, as the Jesuit priest explained, \u201cwill be more centered on supporting a spiritual experience, which often becomes difficult amidst our busy and noise-filled daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pope is very aware of this and wants to help us, inviting us to pray together for others,\u201d he added. The \u201cupdate\u201d of the initiative, according to Fones, stems \u201cfrom the profound need we have to slow down in order to achieve greater depth in our decisions and relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a simple and accessible format, \u201cPray with the Pope\u201d aims to allow anyone, wherever they are, to join in the Holy Father\u2019s prayer intention, which this year 2026 begins with the invitation to \u201clearn to pray with the most definitive Word, which is not our own, so full of empty promises, but Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n
In this month\u2019s video, Pope Leo XIV is seen silently reading a passage from the Bible in the presence of the Lord, and then he recites a short prayer:<\/p>\n
\u201cLord Jesus, living word of the Father, in you we find the light that guides our steps.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning, and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures, to let ourselves be challenged by your voice, and to discern our decisions from the closeness to your heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay your word be nourishment in weariness, hope in darkness, and strength in our communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cLord, may your word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts \u2014 the word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, disciples and missionaries of your kingdom.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake us a Church that prays with the word, that builds upon it and shares it with joy, so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMay our faith grow in the encounter with you through your word, moving us from the heart to reach out to others, to serve the most vulnerable, to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life. Amen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Countering the globalization of indifference<\/p>\n
For Fones, this January\u2019s intention will be the basis for the rest of the year\u2019s intentions, which will include children with incurable diseases, the end of war, priests in crisis, respect for human life, and families experiencing the absence of a mother or father, among others.<\/p>\n
The priest explained that the initiative also seeks to \u201chighlight important and crucial issues for everyone, opening our hearts to urgent realities and transforming our environment to counteract the globalization of indifference.\u201d<\/p>\n
The campaign can be followed on the pope\u2019s prayer website in several languages, and will also be available in audio format through Vatican Radio and partner platforms such as Pray as You Go, RezandoVoy, and Hallow. The Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network is currently present in more than 90 countries and reaches over 22 million people.<\/p>\n
This story\u00a0was first published\u00a0by ACI Prensa, CNA\u2019s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.<\/p>\n