For Christians, the idea of coincidence is often replaced with the understanding of Providence: the fact that God is present in every moment, but exists outside of time, aware of and present to both past and future. Thus when events seem to eerily fall together, Christians see the hand of Providence at work, and not just mere chance. Springing from the lingo of "coincidence," sometimes this is referred to as a "God-incidence."
Such a "God-incidence" occurs with Pope Leo's prayer for this month of March. The list of 2026 intentions was released already weeks ago, and yet, as the US entered war with Iran on the day before March began, the intention of "disarmament and peace" took on greater urgency.
In a brief post for social media, the Pope asks:
Would you imagine what a world without wars would be like? ... Without rocket alarms shattering the silence of the night ...
The Pray With the Pope video invites us to make his prayer along with him (see below).
Here is the Pope's prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amén.
Lord of Life,
you shaped every human being in your image and likeness.
We believe you created us for communion, not for war,
for fraternity, not for destruction.
You who greeted your disciples saying, “Peace be with you,”
grant us the gift of your peace
and the strength to make it a reality in history.
Today we lift up our prayer for peace in the world,
asking that nations renounce weapons
and choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy.
Disarm our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,
so we may become instruments of reconciliation.
Help us understand that true security
does not come from control fueled by fear,
but from trust, justice, and solidarity among peoples.
Lord, enlighten the leaders of the nations,
so they may have the courage to abandon projects of death,
halt the arms race,
and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.
May the nuclear threat never again dictate the future of humanity.
Holy Spirit,
make us faithful and creative builders of daily peace:
in our hearts, our families,
our communities, and our cities.
May every kind word, every gesture of reconciliation,
and every choice for dialogue be seeds of a new world.
Amen.
Build security that is secure
In the material illustrating this month's intention, we recall the words with which the new Holy Father greeted the world at the beginning of his pontificate – “Peace be with you.” Through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the Holy Father exhorts the Church and all people of goodwill to reject the logic of violence and to build securities founded on trust, justice, and fraternity among peoples.
The Holy Father also prays for the disarmament of “our hearts of hatred, resentment, and indifference,” emphasizing that true security does not come from fear or from control, but from mutual “trust, justice and solidarity among peoples.” He specifically prays that political leaders and heads of state “may have the courage to abandon projects of death, halt the arms race, and place the lives of the most vulnerable at the center.” In addition, he firmly rejects that the nuclear threat should continue to condition the future of humanity.
A world increasingly weaponized
The Pope’s prayer intention is situated within a global context marked by increasingly sustained military spending. According to recent data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), fueled by the war between Russia and Ukraine, other armed conflicts, and geopolitical tensions, global military spending increased for a tenth consecutive year in 2024, reaching 2.7 billion dollars.
This 9.4 % increase over the previous year brought worldwide military spending to the highest level SIPRI has ever recorded. As a result, the global military burden (the percentage of the global gross domestic product spent on the military) rose to 2.5%. In countries affected by major or high-intensity armed conflicts in 2024, this burden averaged 4.4%, compared to 1.9% for countries not experiencing conflicts.
These figures highlight the stark contrast regarding the resources allocated to the weapons industry and the urgent human developmental needs, social care, and peacebuilding, especially for the most vulnerable populations.
About 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 92 countries, forming a spiritual community of more than 22 million people who seek to live each day with availability to God’s mission. At the center of its mission are the monthly prayer intentions of the Pope, inviting its members to focus on the pressing challenges facing humanity and the Church’s mission.
It was founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer. In December 2020, Pope Francis established this Pontifical Work as a Vatican Foundation and approved its final statutes in July 2024.
