By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
VATICAN | In the new edition of The Pope Video for the month of September, the Pope asks for prayers “that, inspired by Saint Francis, we might experience our interdependence with all creatures who are loved by God and worthy of love and respect.” The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, responsible for the production and distribution of the video, was assisted this month by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention this month is “For our relationship with all of creation.” The video comes out within the context of the Season of Creation, an ecumenical period from September 1 to October 4 (the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi) that unites Christians from various denominations in prayer and action for the care of the earth.
In fact, in the original prayer the Pope recites in the video, he asks the Lord: “Help us to discover Your presence in all creation, so that…we may feel and know ourselves to be responsible for this common home where You invite us to care for, respect, and protect life.” The continuity between the teaching of Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis, the author of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015), is particularly evident in the reference to Saint Francis: “Like Saint Francis of Assisi, today we too want to say: ‘Praised be You, my Lord!’”
Two anniversaries, a special moment
The video accompanying the Pope’s prayer intention, and the prayer itself, emphasize the special moment in which 2025 Season of Creation is taking place – it links two anniversaries: the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation and the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s Encyclical Laudato Si’.
The Franciscan background of the Holy Father’s prayer intention comes alive through several images from the documentary St. Francis of Assisi – Sign of Contradiction, a gift to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network by the U.S. based film company 10th Hour Productions. The anniversary of Laudato Si’ is depicted through the Mass celebrated this past July 9 by Pope Leo XIV in the “natural cathedral” (as he referred to it in his homily) of Borgo Laudato Si’ in Castel Gandolfo. This liturgy followed the prayers of the Missa pro custodia creationis (Mass for the Care of Creation), added to the Roman Missal by the Pope specifically for the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s encyclical.
We are all responsible for our common home
Among those concelebrating that Mass was Cardinal Michael Czerny S.J, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which supported the production of this Pope Video. “The Jubilee of Hope and the 10th anniversary of the Encyclical Laudato Si’ invite us to live a moment of gratitude, commitment to and care for our common home,” the Cardinal highlighted. He added, “All creatures, even the smallest, are expressions of God’s love. In prayer, we recognize the value and sacredness of every life. The Holy Father encourages us to discover God’s presence in creation. Contemplating it, we are called to care for it, be reconciled to it, to live in harmony with and defend it with a prophetic spirit, to respect every human person, and to promote lasting and sustainable peace.”
Environmental justice, an urgent need
In his message, “Seeds of Peace and Hope,” for the 10th World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation (celebrated September 1), Pope Leo XIV states that the destruction of nature, a consequence of human sin, affects most of all the poorest and most vulnerable. Environmental justice, the Pope writes, “is an urgent need that involves more than simply protecting the environment. For it is a matter of justice – social, economic and human,” as well as a theological requirement. Since the weakest suffer the worst consequences of climate change and environmental destruction, “care for creation becomes an expression of our faith and humanity.”
In the footsteps of Saint Francis
The International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., explains that this month’s prayer intention “reminds us how interconnected our world is. Our well-being cannot be separated from other creatures living on earth, or from the ‘state of health’ of our planet.”
“This month,” Father Fones continues, “the Pope invites us to reflect on how our actions affect nature, God’s work, and to seek ways of living that foster the restoration and natural balance and harmony between human beings and the environment. In the midst of such a competitive, hectic world, dominated by consumerism, a large part of humanity deeply longs to live well, closer to and more respectful of nature – a style of life that would allow us to contemplate it in an attentive silence that leads to an encounter with ourselves, with God and with others.”
For Father Fones, Saint Francis can inspire us on this journey toward a life that is “simpler, less consumeristic, based on friendly relationships with others and with nature, in a childlike relationship of love for and gratitude to God.”
Finally, within the context of the Holy Year 2025, The Pope Video acquires special relevance since through it we know the prayer intentions the Pope holds in his heart. To properly receive the graces of the Jubilee indulgence, it is necessary to pray for the Pope’s intentions.
