“Pray with the Pope”: monthly prayer intentions in a new format

The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network and the Dicastery for Communication have announced a new initiative in service of the Holy Father's mission: the project “Pray with the Pope.”

Starting this January, and in continuity with the mission begun by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV will share his monthly prayer intention through a video and audio recording, inviting the universal Church and all people of good will to join spiritually in the same prayer, which they can now recite guided by the Pope himself.

This initiative aims to give greater visibility to the Pope's prayer intentions, using language that helps people pray and new formats designed to reach the faithful more effectively around the world, particularly in the context of contemporary digital communication.

Children, human life, and family among the Pope's prayer intentions for 2026

In this new phase, the Network presented the Holy Father's prayer intentions for the year 2026, focusing on the spiritual, social, and humanitarian challenges facing the Church and the whole world. In particular, in February, prayers will be offered for children with incurable diseases, in July for respect for human life, and in December for single-parent families. The wounds of the world, the search for the human being, and the hope that the Church is called to safeguard are some of the challenges for which everyone is called to pray with the help of videos and audio recordings that will be released each month.

January's intention: “For prayer with the Word of God”

The “Pray with the Pope” project begins with the first prayer intention for 2026: “For prayer with the Word of God,” which invites us to rediscover the spiritual power of Sacred Scripture as a privileged place of encounter with Christ. In this first message, Pope Leo XIV proposes a prayer centered on the Word as light for discernment, nourishment in times of weariness, hope in darkness, and the foundation of a Church built on the Gospel.

The prayer recited by the Holy Father asks for the grace to learn to listen to the Scriptures daily, to allow them to challenge us, and to allow them to guide our personal and community decisions. He also emphasizes the missionary dimension of the Word, which makes every believer a disciple called to serve, forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life.

“Pray with the Pope” will be accessible on the website and digital platforms of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network.

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The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Pontifical Work entrusted to the Society of Jesus. It is present in over 90 countries and brings together a spiritual community of more than 22 million people, committed to living each day with a willingness to collaborate in Christ’s mission. At the heart of this mission are the Pope’s monthly prayer intentions, which invite us to focus on the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church.

Founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer, Pope Francis established it as a Vatican Foundation in December 2020 and approved its definitive statutes in July 2024.