Vatican City, January 26, 2024
Pope Francis received in audience members of the international team and the Board of Directors of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the members of the Foundation “Pro Rete Mondiale di Preghiera del Papa” and the main collaborators.
From January 22-27, the international team of the Prayer Network met to evaluate the progress of the mission, updates on the projects The Pope’s Video and Click To Pray, and the spiritual foundation The Way of the Heart that help to enter into a mission of compassion for the world by praying for the challenges of humanity and the mission of the Church expressed by the Pope in his prayer intentions. The international team met the Pope on Friday 26th in the Sala dei Papi of the Palazzo Apostolico, which was a grace and an encouragement for the mission that this pontifical work is carrying out.
Francis expressed his gratitude “for what you do to sustain this mystique of prayer in the Church, in all the laity, and also in consecrated or ordained persons. So thank you very much for what you do”.
Full speech of the Holy Father
Thank you very much for your visit. I appreciate your work, which is an ecclesial work that was born within the Society of Jesus.
In the apostolic work of one of the faithful, a deacon, a priest, a consecrated man or woman, a bishop, if it is carried out well, one feels strongly the need for prayer, for intercession. Action alone, apostolic though it may be, without prayer is an entrepreneurial matter. Prayer is what gives meaning to the apostolate. I have always been very struck by what Peter says to the apostles after they invented deacons. He says: what about us? That is, the bishops? Prayer and the proclamation of the word. That is, the first duty of a bishop is to pray. First duty of a Christian is to pray. Prayer. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming a purely natural, worldly institution. Or a political one.
So, thank you for what you do to support this mystique of prayer in the Church, in all the laity, and also in consecrated or ordained persons. Thank you for what you do.
Pope Francis
About the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Vatican foundation, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. The foundation’s mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus, a mission of compassion for the world. Founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer, it is present in 89 countries, and is made up of more than 22 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM). In December 2020, the Pope constituted this pontifical work as a Vatican Foundation and approved its new statutes. Its international director is Fr. Frédéric Fornos, SJ. For more information, visit: https://www.popesprayer.va
