Pope Francis shared his monthly prayer intention video for July, urging the faithful to pray for the pastoral care of the sick.
Pope Francis’ Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer developed “The Pope Video” initiative in 2016 as a way to spread the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions on the challenges humanity faces in a video based format.
Read below the full transcribed prayer intention of Pope Francis, and watch “The Pope Video” for July!
“This month, let us keep in our prayers the pastoral care of the sick. The anointing of the sick is not a sacrament only for those who are about to die. It is important to have this clear. When the priest approaches a person to give them the anointing of the sick, he is not necessarily helping them to bid farewell to life. To think this way is to give up all hope, taking it for granted that after the priest arrives, the undertaker follows. Let us remember that the anointing of the sick is one of the sacraments of healing, which heals the spirit. When a person is very sick, it is appropriate to give them the anointing of the sick, and when a person is already elderly, it is also appropriate for them to receive the anointing of the sick. Let us pray that the sacrament of the anointing of the sick gives strength from the Lord to the people who receive it and to their loved ones, and becomes more and more a visible sign of compassion and hope for everyone.“
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