The head of the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network offers a look behind the scenes.<\/p>\n
Leo XIV records his \u201cPray with the Pope\u201d video each month, but how does he choose the intentions he wants the Church to pray for?<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re absolutely the pope\u2019s intentions; however, he does it in a very synodal way,\u201d after gathering input from many sources, Father Crist\u00f3bal Fones, SJ, international director of the Pope\u2019s Worldwide Prayer Network (PWPN), told EWTN News.<\/p>\n
The prayer network, established as a Vatican entity by Pope Francis in 2018, recently undertook a lengthy consultation process with its national directors in 94 countries and members of the Roman Curia.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast year, we received about 300 proposals in different languages,\u201d Fones said. \u201cWe categorized them, we summarized them, and then the [prayer network\u2019s] international office proposed 16 of them to the pope to facilitate his work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn December, I passed him these 16 proposals \u2026 he put another one that wasn\u2019t part of the [original] proposals and changed the order,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s quite involved in this process. For him it is critical,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Every month, Pope Leo records three versions \u2014 English, Italian, and Spanish \u2014 of his monthly prayer intention.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work,\u201d the PWPN director told EWTN News. \u201cHe\u2019s committed to this because he knows it is important and because he wants to pray with people.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Fones, Pope Leo is continuing the tradition of Pope Francis, who recorded the first video of the monthly intentions in 2016, but the current pope has put his own stamp on the practice.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Pope Leo] wanted to invite people not only to pray for the intention but to pray with him,\u201d he said. \u201cSo he wanted a video where he was praying and people could join him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s teaching us how to pray at the same time,\u201d Fones said, \u201cby saying \u2018hello\u2019 to the Lord, pausing a little bit, and meaning every single word.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fones said Pope Leo asked the global network to help people cultivate a \u201cfriendship\u201d with God through the various multimedia resources they offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said to me, \u2018Please teach people how to pray,\u2019\u201d Fones said. \u201cHe\u2019s very conscious that we may be Catholics but not have this kind of relationship with Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPrayer is not something that we do or something that we say, but it\u2019s a relationship that we build up \u2014 not with something \u2014 but with someone,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
In addition to the \u201cPray with the Pope\u201d campaign, the Vatican foundation also offers a nine-step spirituality program called \u201cWay of the Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Leo\u2019s request, PWPN launched the \u201cPray with the Pope\u201d campaign in January with the desire to teach people \u201cintercessory prayer\u201d that is focused on \u201cChrist and the challenges of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe closer we are to the heart of Jesus, the closer we are to the pains and sufferings of the world who are at the core of his heart,\u201d Fones said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe important thing is to be compassionate with so many challenges we are facing around the world, very critical, that obviously are in the heart of the pope, as [they are] in the heart of so many people who are suffering those problems, and \u2026 certainly in the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
This article was originally published by EWTN News English.<\/p>\n