Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP
Today, on the eve of Pope Leo XIV’s departure for his first apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon, the Holy Father’s prayer intention for December was released through The Pope Video.
It is dedicated specifically to Christian minorities who live in the midst of war. In fact, in this last prayer intention of the year, the Holy Father asks that we pray “that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.”
He offers a prayer to the “God of peace,” in the video produced and distributed by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, with the collaboration of Vatican Media.
[The full text of the prayer is at the end of this article.]
This month’s prayer intention, as well as Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic journey, focus on one of the most unstable areas in the world from a political, economic, and safety perspective. According to Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom Report 2025, the number of conflicts in the Middle East and the socio-economic conditions there expose religious minorities, and Christians in particular, to a condition of extreme vulnerability.
After two years of war, the population in Palestine is beyond exhaustion. The severe economic crisis in Lebanon has driven thousands of people to emigrate, emptying parishes and schools. In Syria and Iraq, reconstruction struggles to make progress due to political instability, insecurity, and the lack of prospects for the young. And yet, in the midst of these difficulties, many small communities continue to safeguard the faith, serve the poor, and build bridges of co-existence with their neighbors who practice other religions.
The images that accompany the prayer read by the Pope tell us specifically about this. They show us examples of an unshakable faith even in the midst of the rubble. We see celebrations in Iraqi villages come back to life after the war, the extraordinary strength of the parish community of Gaza even as they are being bombed, the indispensable work of Caritas in Lebanon among the poor and refugees in neighboring countries, the spiritual oasis offered by Syrian monks. All of these are signs of the presence of that Holy Spirit who, as the prayer read the Pope says, is “the source of hope in the darkest times.”
“The condition of Christians in areas of conflict has been a constant concern in the heart of the Successor of Peter,” recalls Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., the International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. “Several times over the years, Pope Francis entrusted the suffering and the witness of Christians who live in difficult situations to the prayer of the Church.
Pope Leo XIV picks up this legacy right at the moment of his first apostolic journey to Türkiye and Lebanon.
His invitation to prayer is an act of closeness and hope, a way to say to the Christians of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and so many other countries, that they are not forgotten, that the universal Church walks with them. It also serves to recall to all of us that the faith grows even in the midst of trial, and that from the wounded community seeds of reconciliation and peace can be born. This is why, as the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, we want to join the Holy Father in asking that the Holy Spirit sustain these brothers and sisters, and to strengthen all of us in hope and solidarity.”
Finally, within the context of the Holy Year 2025, The Pope Video acquires special relevance, since it allows us to learn about the prayer intentions the Pope holds in his heart.
The Pope Video is possible thanks to the generous contributions made through this website.
Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.
God of peace,
who through the blood of Your Son
has reconciled the world to Yourself,
today we pray for Christians
living amidst wars and violence.
Even surrounded by pain, may they
never cease to feel the gentle kindness of your presence
and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith.
For only through You, and strengthened by fraternal bonds,
can they become the seeds of reconciliation,
builders of hope in ways both small and great,
capable of forgiving and moving forward,
of bridging divides,
and of seeking justice with mercy.
Lord Jesus, who called blessed
those who work for peace,
make us Your instruments of peace
even where harmony seems impossible.
Holy Spirit,
source of hope in the darkest times,
sustain the faith of those who suffer and strengthen their hope.
Do not let us fall into indifference,
and make us builders of unity, like Jesus.
Amen.
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free!
Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you. Please make a tax-deductible donation today!
Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. It’s free!