Pope Francis released his prayer intention for the month of May on Tuesday, encouraging Catholics to pray for “the world of finance.”
The pontiff’s intentions are published each month by “The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network,” accompanied by a video-message in which Pope Francis offers a reflection on topic for which he is praying.
“The true economy, the one that creates work, is in crisis,” the Pope says in Tuesday’s video, arguing from the high rate of unemployment despite the “inflated” financial markets.
“This situation is unstainable,” he warns. “And it is dangerous.”
The Pope says that financial speculation “must be carefully regulated” so that “the poor do not suffer painful consequences from this system.” Finance, he says, should be “a form of service, and an instrument to serve the people, and to care for our common home.
Reiterating a frequent call, Pope Francis says there is still time to change the global economy, creating “one that is more just, more inclusive, and more sustainable — and that leaves no one behind.” The Pope has made similar appeals in his encyclicals Laudato sí (On care for our common home) and Fratelli tutti (On fraternity and social friendship), and in numerous speeches.
To that end, he calls for prayers “that those in charge of finances will work with governments to regulate financial markets and protect citizens from its [sic] dangers.”
In a press release accompanying the video, the International Director of the Prayer Network, Jesuit Father Frédéric Fornos, explained, “This prayer intention must be understood in the context of the crisis we’re living through, which has made evident the great inequality there is in the world.” The press release notes that the Pope’s message for May “was created in collaboration with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Development.”
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