The “Pray With the Pope” project, led by The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and the Dicastery for Communication, is a new take on the monthly prayer intentions chosen by the Successor of Peter.
Beginning this month, and in continuity with the mission launched by Pope Francis, Pope Leo XVI will share his monthly prayer intention through both video and audio, inviting the universal Church and all people of good will to unite spiritually, using the same prayer that will now be led by the Pope himself.
It is prayer that unites us
In the press conference held this past Monday in the Vatican Press Office, the prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, Paolo Ruffini, spoke of the power of united prayer: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst” (Mt. 18:20).
“The Church,” he said, “was a network before the World Wide Web. So when Pope Leo XIV invited everyone – missionary disciples in our digital era – to go and repair the networks, what he was really asking is this: not to nurture illusions of grandeur or of conquest, but to rediscover the foundation of everything, learning over again how to together call God ‘Abba,’ – ‘daddy’ – like children, thus revealing the mystery of communion that unites us to each other and to Him.”
Later, Ruffini also highlighted the close collaboration between the Dicastery and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network as a concrete indication of how the Holy See’s communication efforts foster the communion of the entire Church around the Successor of Peter.
The intention for January: “For prayer with the Word of God”
The “Pray With the Pope” project is being launched with the first prayer intention for 2026: “For prayer with the Word of God.”
In his first message, Pope Leo proposes prayer that is centered on the Word as light for discernment, nourishment in times of weariness, hope in the darkness, and the foundation of a Church constructed on the Gospel.
The prayer recited by the Holy Father asks for the grace of being open to daily listening to the Scriptures, allowing ourselves to be challenged by them, and that they guide both personal and communitarian decisions. Moreover, he underlines the missionary dimension of the Word, which makes each believer a disciple who serves, forgives, builds bridges, and proclaims life.
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Place of prayer: Church of San Pellegrino in Vaticano
Filming took place in the Church of San Pellegrino in Vaticano, one of the oldest churches inside Vatican City. Its origins date back to the year 795. Tradition has it that during Pope Leo III’s pontificate, Charlemagne gave the relics of Saint Pellegrino (a priest of Rome and the first bishop of Auxerre, France) to be placed in this church.
It is located on the old Via Francígena, a route used by pilgrims travelling to Rome. This Church has historically been a place of welcome and prayer for those headed toward the tomb of Saint Peter.
Today, the church continues to be a space for silence and recollection for those who work in the Vatican, for pilgrims and visitors. It also serves as the chapel for Vatican City’s Corp of Gendarmerie. Its walls dating back to Charlemagne, the remains of the ancient apse with its decorations, and the various phases of restoration it has undergone over the centuries, add to its spiritual heritage.
“Pray with the Pope” is accessible on the web site and on the digital platforms of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
The January prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amén.
Lord Jesus, living Word of the Father,
in You we find the light that guides our steps.
We know that the human heart lives restless, hungry for meaning,
and only your Gospel can give it peace and fullness.
Teach us to listen to you each day in the Scriptures,
to let ourselves be challenged by your voice,
and to discern our decisions
from the closeness to your Heart.
May your Word be nourishment in weariness,
hope in darkness,
and strength in our communities.
Lord, may your Word never be absent from our lips or from our hearts—
the Word that makes us sons and daughters, brothers and sisters,
disciples and missionaries of your Kingdom.
Make us a Church that prays with the Word,
that is built upon it and shares it with joy,
so that in every person the hope of a new world may be born again.
May our faith grow in the encounter with you through your Word,
moving us from the heart
to reach out to others,
to serve the most vulnerable,
to forgive, build bridges, and proclaim life.
Amen.
