Vatican City, July 7, 2016
Dear Brothers,
These lines of greeting come with gratitude for all you are doing and will continue to do for the recreation of this Pontifical service. I reiterate that I am spiritually united with you, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist and in my personal prayer. Without these moments of intimacy with the Lord and without your prayers, I would find this mission difficult. Thank you.
I have pointed out before that a Church that does not go out of itself will eventually become sick. This also happens with apostolic works. They must be discerned in order to seek and to find the Lord’s will for these times and to “Put out into the deep.”
For several years the Apostleship of Prayer has been carrying out a process of recreation, in order to better serve the mission that, like my predecessors, I have entrusted to them: to pray for and to serve the challenges of humanity and the mission of Church. I am grateful in particular for the new ways to pray with me that they have created, the Pope Video and the prayer platform Click To Pray.
With this letter I name Fr. Fréderic Fornos, SJ, International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer) and the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM), and I will appoint in a similar manner the succeeding directors that the Superior General of the Society of Jesus will propose to me. The International Director will appoint National Directors of this Worldwide Network and its youth branch, the EYM.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network continues to be a work entrusted to the Society of Jesus but, being a service of the Universal Church, the nomination of National Directors will be presented to the respective Episcopal Conferences for approval.
This point modifies the current 1968 Statutes of the Apostleship of Prayer. I ask the International Director to present in the coming months an update of these Statutes in relation to the recreation process that is taking place.
I thank the Society of Jesus for continuing to accompany the recreation of this service of the Catholic Church.
I thank the Virgin who always tells us, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2,5), and I ask you, please pray for me to be attentive to what God wants and not what I want. I pray for you.
May Jesus bless you and the Blessed Virgin care for you.
Original: Spanish
Francisco