In his prayer intention for August, Pope Francis prays that political leaders may be at the service of their people.
By Christopher Wells
VATICAN CITY — “Politics is one of the highest forms of charity because it seeks the common good,” says Pope Francis, quoting his predecessor St Paul VI.
In his prayer intention for the month of August, the Holy Father invites the faithful to join him in prayer “that political leaders be at the service of their own people, working for integral human development and the common good, taking caring of those who have lost their jobs and giving priority to the poorest.”
In his video message announcing this month’s intention, Pope Francis acknowledges that “politics does not have a very good reputation.” Nonetheless, he says, politics properly so-called – as opposed to “politicking” – “listens to what is really going on… is at the service of the poor… is concerned for the unemployed.”
“If we look at it in this way,” the Pope says, “politics is much more noble than it appears.”
So, he says, as we pray for political leaders, we should also be grateful “for the many politicians who carry out their duties with a will to serve, not of power, who put all their efforts toward the common good.”
Why pray for political leaders?
Commenting on the Pope’s prayer intention for August, the International director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Fr Frédéric Fornos, SJ, voices the objection, “Why pray for political leaders?”
However, he says, “political leaders are who we make of them. Instead of fuelling contempt for them with our words and our thoughts, let’s help them to be the men and women we would like them to be. Let’s pray for them, as Pope Francis invites us to do.”
Fr Fornos recalls that, although at times politicians can be greedy or power-hungry, there are many political leaders “who truly serve the common good.”
For our part, Fr Fornos asks rhetorically, “What are we doing? What would we do in their place?” And he answers, “The least we can do is pray for them.”
