Some 45% of the world's population lives in an urban area. Cities need evangelization. Leo is praying for this effort in August and invites us to join him.
Surrounded by people but isolated: This is the plight of many city-dwellers today. Almost half of the world’s population lives in an urban area, and Pope Leo XIV's August prayer intention is dedicated to “evangelization in the city.” Through this intention, he invites the faithful to discover, in the midst of the anonymity and loneliness that often characterize city life, ways of building open and welcoming homes, “where no one feels invisible.”
Through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network’s “Pray with the Pope campaign, the Holy Father calls the faithful and all people of goodwill to join him each month in praying for his intentions.
In this prayer, Pope Leo XIV asks the “Good Shepherd” who “walks through our streets and squares,” to “enter tall buildings and humble neighborhoods,” and to “silently accompany millions” of people who “seek meaning amid noise and haste.” The Pope acknowledges that cities, meant to be places of “freedom and opportunity,” can also become “spaces of anonymity and isolation.” So, he calls for a new perspective, capable of discovering “fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel” in urban life. He continues his prayer, asking for a creative faith expressed not only in words, but incarnated in “simple and loving gestures.” He also asks the Lord to make the Church a community that “goes forth,” and is capable of reaching out to the peripheries to sow fraternity where indifference reigns.
The city: today’s mission territory
Today, almost 45% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. This means that large cities are the largest mission territories of our time. Demographic growth has led to a high concentration of people, generating social and community challenges: neighborhoods, buildings, commercial zones, and peripheries that have become anonymous and lonely places for many people. According to statistics from the United Nations – World Urbanization Prospects (2025), among the worlds most populated cities are Jakarta (42 million people), Dhaka (37 million), Tokyo (33 million), New Delhi (30 million) and Shanghai (30 million).
In this context, loneliness influences mental health. Young people are particularly affected: 35% are aware that it affects their daily lives, even though they are continually connected to the digital world. Urban loneliness is manifested in superficial relationships, a lack of closeness to neighbors and the surrounding community, the feeling of not belonging anywhere, lack of emotional support during difficult times, and few spaces for genuine social interaction.
Thus, Pope Leo XIV recalled that “the future of human flourishing depends on which ‘love’ we choose to organize our society around – a selfish love, the love of self, or the love of God and neighbor,” in a speech to participants in the annual meeting of the International Catholic Legislators Network, in August 2025.
Here is the Pope's prayer:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd,
You walk through our streets and squares,
enter tall buildings and humble neighborhoods,
and silently accompany millions
who seek meaning amid noise and haste.
You know, Lord, the heart of the city:
its lights and shadows, its noise and loneliness.
We know that cities are called to be places of freedom and opportunity,
but they can also become spaces of anonymity and isolation.
That’s why today we ask You for a renewed gaze,
able to discover in urban life
fertile ground for proclaiming your Gospel.
Give us a creative and deep faith,
that doesn’t remain in words,
but becomes flesh through simple and loving gestures.
Make us a Church that goes forth,
able to reach out to the peripheries,
to console those who are lonely,
and to sow fraternity and connection instead of giving in to indifference.
Lord, may our urban communities
be open and welcoming homes,
places where hope is shared,
where no one feels invisible,
and where the joy of your Gospel shines
in the hidden lives of so many brothers and sisters.
Make us your witnesses in the city,
bold and creative missionaries,
who proclaim your Love with their lives—
a Love capable of overcoming haste, noise, and anonymity.
Amen.
