As Pope Leo XIV prepares to embark on his Apostolic Journey to Türkiye and Lebanon, he is urging Catholics around the world to unite in prayer for Christians who remain steadfast in regions torn apart by conflict. His newly released December prayer intention focuses on “Christians living in areas of conflict,” according to Vatican News.
In the monthly Pope Video, the Holy Father calls the Church to turn her attention toward those enduring the realities of war—especially in the Middle East. “Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope,” he said, according to Vatican News.
The Pope also offered a prayer to the “God of Peace,” asking that Christians surrounded by suffering may never lose the consoling sense of God’s nearness. He prayed that these communities may “feel the gentle kindness of your presence and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith,” according to the report.
As violence and instability continue to affect numerous Christian communities, Pope Leo emphasized that the Church cannot grow numb to their struggles. He appealed for a renewed commitment to solidarity, urging the faithful to pray that believers in conflict zones may become “seeds of reconciliation that build hope and bridges of justice and mercy,” Vatican News reported. He also encouraged all Christians to resist the temptation to “grow indifferent to the suffering of other Christians,” calling instead for a renewed spirit of unity.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network connected this month’s intention with his upcoming trip to the region, noting that the Middle East continues to face profound instability. Despite these challenges, they observed that many Christian communities “continue to safeguard the faith, serve the poor, and work together with people of other Churches and faiths to build bridges of coexistence,” according to Vatican News.
Citing Aid to the Church in Need’s Religious Freedom Report 2025, the Network highlighted that current “socio-economic conditions… expose religious minorities, and Christians in particular, to a condition of extreme vulnerability.” Yet even amid devastation, signs of spiritual renewal persist. Some communities are demonstrating what the Network described as “unshakable faith even in the midst of rubble,” as Christian families rebuild their lives, offer charitable outreach, and provide spiritual support to others.
The full text of Pope Leo XIV’s December prayer intention, published by Vatican News, invokes the Trinity for strength, perseverance, and renewed compassion toward those suffering for their faith. Asking Christ to “make us Your instruments of peace,” the prayer closes with an appeal to the Holy Spirit, the “source of hope in the darkest times,” to sustain all who face violence and to “make us builders of unity.”
As the Church enters Advent, Pope Leo’s intention invites Catholics worldwide to accompany persecuted Christians with prayerful solidarity, entrusting them to the God who reconciles all things and brings peace even where harmony seems beyond reach.
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