The Vatican

Families in crisis, the Pope's prayer intention for March

Pope Francis' video message with the prayer intention for the month of March is entitled 'For Families in Crisis'. Disseminated through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, it asks us to pray that divided families may find in forgiveness the healing of their wounds, rediscovering also in their differences the mutual richness of each other.  

Francisco Otamendi-March 5, 2025-Reading time: 2 minutes
Capture of the Pope's video message Prayer Families in crisis.

A screenshot of Pope Francis' March 2025 video message, 'For Families in Crisis.' (CNS screengrab/Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network)

In the video message, recorded a few weeks ago, before being admitted to the Gemelli, the Pope sets the prayer intention for the month of March 2025. To pray 'for families in crisis', so that divided families may find in mutual forgiveness the healing of their wounds.

"We all dream of a beautiful, perfect family. But there is no such thing as a perfect family. Every family has its problems, and also its great joys," the Pope begins by saying in a video that lasts 2 minutes and 4 seconds.

"The best medicine is forgiveness."

"In the family, each person is valuable because he or she is different from the others, each person is unique. But differences can also provoke conflicts and painful wounds. And the best medicine for healing the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness," the Holy Father points out.

Next, the Pope delves into the attitude of forgiveness. "To forgive means to give another possibility. God does that with us all the time. God's patience is infinite: he forgives us, he lifts us up, he makes us start again. Forgiveness always renews the family, makes us look forward with hope". An e-mail to hope which is precisely the central theme of the Jubilee of this year 2025.

"God's grace gives us strength to forgive and brings peace."

"Even when the 'happy ending' that we would like is not possible," the Pope encourages, "God's grace gives us the strength to sorry and brings peace, because it frees from sadness and, above all, from resentment".

Finally, the Pope concludes: "Let us pray that divided families may find in forgiveness the healing of their wounds, rediscovering, even in their differences, the riches of each other". 

These video messages of the Pope are disseminated through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, with the collaboration of Vatican Media and the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

The authorFrancisco Otamendi

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