His Holiness Pope Leo XIV’s April Prayer Intention: ‘For Priests in crisis’
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV releases his Prayer intention for the month of April, and invites Catholics to pray for Priests who are facing a personal crisis in their vocation.
By Devin Watkins
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics across the globe to join him in April in praying for Priests in crisis.
He released the monthly “Pray with the Pope” video on Tuesday, which is prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
In his prayer, the Pope entrusted all Priests into the Father’s hands, especially those going through moments of crisis, “when loneliness weighs heavily, when doubt clouds their hearts, and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope.”
God, he said, knows their struggles and wounds as they seek to accept His unconditional love as “humble and cherished disciples” and not as “mere functionaries or lonely heroes.”
“Good Father, teach us as a community to care for our Priests: to listen without judging, to give thanks without demanding perfection, to share with them the baptismal mission of proclaiming the Kingdom in word and deed, and to accompany them with closeness and sincere Prayer,” prayed the Pope.
He invited Catholics to support the men who “so often support us.”
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV prayed that the Holy Spirit may “rekindle in our Priests the joy of the Gospel.”
“Grant them healthy friendships, networks of fraternal support, a sense of humor when things don’t go as expected, and the grace to always rediscover the beauty of their vocation,” he said.
“May they never lose trust in You,” he concluded, “nor the joy of serving your Church with a humble and generous heart.”
Sustaining the men who sustain our faith
In a press release accompanying the video, Fr. Cristóbal Fones, international director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, said the intention to pray for Priests is particularly close to Pope Leo XIV’s heart.
“It is essential to remember how important human accompaniment, sincere friendship and, above all, Prayer support are,” said Fr. Fones. “Priests need to know that they are not alone”…
This report was originally published on the Website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.