Below we publish the text of the Holy Father’s Video with the prayer intention for the month of January, disseminated through the Pope’s World Prayer Network on the theme “For the gift of diversity in the Church: Let us pray that the Spirit helps to recognize the gift of the different charisms within Christian communities and to discover the richness of the different ritual traditions within the Catholic Church”:

Video text

We must not be afraid of the diversity of charisms in the Church. Because we are not all the same. On the contrary, we must rejoice in experiencing this diversity.

Already in the first Christian communities, diversity and unity were very present and in tension, to be resolved on a higher level.

But there’s more. To advance on the path of faith we also need ecumenical dialogue with our brothers and sisters of other Christian denominations and communities.

Not as something that confuses or creates discomfort, but as a gift that God gives to the Christian community so that it grows as one body, the body of Christ.

Let’s think, for example, of the Eastern Churches. They have some traditions of their own, some specific liturgical rites, but they maintain the unity of the faith. They strengthen it, not divide it.

If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit, richness, variety and diversity never become a reason for conflict.

The Spirit reminds us that first and foremost we are beloved children of God. All equal in the love of God and all different.

We pray that the Spirit helps us to recognize the gift of different charisms within Christian communities and to discover the richness of the different ritual traditions within the Catholic Church.

[Original text: Spanish]