Pope's August prayer intention: 'for evangelization in the city'
Pope Leo XIV has released a video message urging Catholics to focus on evangelization within urban environments. He highlights the challenges of city life, such as anonymity and isolation, and encourages community-based gestures of love and fraternity.
Why it matters
As global urbanization continues to rise, religious institutions are adapting their outreach strategies to address the mental health and social isolation challenges inherent in modern city living.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholics across the globe to join him this August in praying for evangelization in the city. He released the monthly “Pray with the Pope” video on Friday, which is prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. In his prayer, Pope Leo 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 Chicago-born Pope acknowledges that while cities are meant to be places of “freedom and opportunity,” they can also become “spaces of anonymity and isolation.” Thus, he expressed his hope that urban environments may provide “fertile ground" for proclaiming the Gospel.
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