Pope Leo XIV Urges Catholics Worldwide To Pray For Priests In Crisis This April

Pope Leo XIV has urged 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide to pray for priests in crisis this April.

The request by the pontiff is his prayer intention for April, and was released via the Pray with the Pope video on YouTube, prepared by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

In his prayer, the Pope entrusted all priests, especially those facing crisis, into the Father’s hands, describing moments “when loneliness weighs heavily, when doubt clouds their hearts, and when exhaustion seems stronger than hope.”

He emphasised that God understands their struggles and wounds as they seek to accept His unconditional love, not as “mere functionaries or lonely heroes,” but as “humble and cherished disciples.”

Calling on Catholics to support the men who ‘so often support them’, the prayer continued, “Good father, teach us as a community to care for our priests: to listen without judging, to give thanks without demanding perfection, to share with them the baptismal mission of proclaiming the Kingdom in word and deed, and to accompany them with closeness and sincere prayer”.

Similarly, it called on the Holy Spirit to rekindle the joy of the priests in the Gospel and strengthen their joy in God.

“Grant them healthy friendships, networks of fraternal support, a sense of humour when things don’t go as expected, and the grace to always rediscover the beauty of their vocation.

“May they never lose trust in You, nor the joy of serving your church with a humble and generous heart”.

In a press release accompanying the video, the International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, Fr Cristobal Fones, said the intention to pray for priests is important to the pontiff.

“It is essential to remember how important human accompaniment, sincere friendship and above all, prayer support are,” he said. “Priests need to know that they are not alone. Like all people, priests too are fragile men who need to receive mercy, closeness and understanding.”