We publish below the text of the Holy Father’s video with the prayer intention for the month of November, distributed through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network on the theme “For the Pope – Let us pray for the Pope, that in the exercise of his mission he may continue to accompany in faith, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the flock entrusted to his care”:
Pray to the Lord to bless me.
Your prayer gives me strength and helps me to discern and to accompany the Church by listening to the Holy Spirit.
By the fact of being Pope, one does not lose one’s humanity. On the contrary, my humanity grows more and more each day with God’s holy and faithful people.
Because being Pope is also a process. One becomes aware of what it means to be a pastor.
And in this process one learns to be more charitable, more merciful and, above all, more patient, as is our father God, who is so patient.
I can imagine that all the Popes, at the beginning of their pontificate, had that feeling of fear, of vertigo, of the one who knows that he is going to be judged harshly.
Because the Lord is going to ask us bishops to give a serious account.
Please, I ask you to judge with benevolence. And pray that the Pope, whoever he may be, today it is my turn, may receive the help of the Holy Spirit, may he be docile to that help.
Let us pray for the Pope, that in the exercise of his mission he may continue to accompany in faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus and always with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Let us say in silence this prayer of you for me[1].
And pray for me. Please.
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[1] Audio originale in italiano dal primo saluto del Santo Padre Francesco, 13 marzo 2013)
[Original text: Spanish]
