Pope Leo XIV received this Friday in audience, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the leaders and members of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, whom he encouraged to persevere in their mission of sustaining with prayer the life of the Church and the great challenges of humanity, emphasizing that intercession is an essential part of the proclamation of the Gospel.
During his greeting, the Pontiff thanked the service that this network provides to the people of God and highlighted the role it plays in disseminating, each month, the Pope’s prayer intentions among millions of faithful around the world. Leo XIV recalled that these intentions, the fruit of careful discernment, gather both the needs of the Church and the sufferings and hopes of humanity.
Prayer, an integral part of the evangelizing mission
The Holy Father insisted that prayer is not an accessory element of Christian life, but a constitutive dimension of the Church’s mission. In this sense, he affirmed that presenting daily before God the needs of the world is part of the evangelizing work of the Body of Christ and sustains it from within.
Leo XIV linked this mission to the spirituality proper to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which—he recalled—is rooted in the Heart of Jesus. This spirituality, he explained, allows for a more intimate knowledge of Christ and growth in compassion and closeness toward those who suffer, transforming prayer into true spiritual support for others.
The “Way of the Heart” and friendship with Christ
The Pope also referred to the formative itinerary known as The Way of the Heart, which he proposed as a concrete help for living this spirituality in everyday life. Through this path, he noted, the faithful can better understand that baptism calls them not only to believe, but to live as friends and apostles of Christ in the midst of the world.
In this context, Leo XIV encouraged the leaders of the Network to continue spiritually accompanying the faithful, helping them to integrate prayer into their daily lives as a source of discernment, strength, and apostolic commitment.
The importance of young people in the network of intercession
The Pontiff also emphasized the need to foster ever broader participation in this international network, which unites diverse cultures, languages, and charisms in a single mission. In particular, he highlighted the importance of inviting young people, called to be the next generation of intercessors for the needs of the world.
In this regard, he noted that many young people today seek a more personal and profound relationship with the Risen Jesus Christ, and affirmed that the Youth Eucharistic Movement can be a particularly fruitful path to help them grow in intimacy with the Lord and in ecclesial commitment.
Gratitude and final blessing
In concluding his address, Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude for the constant effort of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network in promoting prayer for the pontifical intentions and encouraged its members to continue this work with a joyful and confident spirit.
After praying the Our Father together with those present, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing, extending it to the families of the Network’s members and to all those who are part of this initiative on the different continents.