Pray with the Pope

The Pope's prayer for April

For priests in crisis

Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.

Reflection

We pray for priests around the world who continue to serve their communities, despite the difficulties they face. Especially those who are affected by conflict.

Fr Vitaliy is a priest in Ukraine. He has worked with local homeless people since 2007. When the full invasion of Ukraine took place in 2022, Fr Vitaliy coordinated a group of volunteers to cycle round houses, providing emergency food and other support to families in need of help.

Speaking about what brings him hope, Fr Vitaliy shares:

“Volunteers are those who bring hope... a volunteer is first of all a person who goes out of his own comfort, to make comfort for others, who goes out from his own love to bring love to others, especially in the situations which are the hardest, which are the most painful.”

The Pope's prayer for March

For disarmament and peace

Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

The Pope’s prayer for February

For children with incurable diseases

Let us pray that children suffering from incurable diseases and their families receive the necessary medical care and support, never losing strength and hope.

When Pope Francis visited the Holy Land in 2014, he used a Popemobile. Throughout the conflict he kept in close contact with his priests working in Gaza, often speaking on a daily basis to them. In the final months before his death, Pope Francis asked that the Popemobile he used on that visit be transformed into a mobile clinic for children in Gaza who are injured, malnourished or don’t have access to healthcare.

Our local partner, Caritas Jerusalem hope that the mobile clinic will be able to enter Gaza soon and be used as the late Holy Father intended.

Lizzie Funnell, CAFOD’s Country Representative in the Middle East, shares why this 'vehicle of hope' is so important:

“Caritas Jerusalem are experts at providing high quality healthcare in Gaza where the health system has been decimated by the conflict. Alongside their clinics they have mobile medical teams who go into really vulnerable communities who couldn’t afford to travel to reach other healthcare services...and we hope that the Pope mobile will be able to enter Gaza and be part of those critical healthcare services soon.”