Pope Leo XIV's prayer intention for the month of September is for the care of water.
"Imagine a hot summer day, after hard work or a long walk, you finally take a sip of cool water. Feel how relief and energy flow through your body," the Holy Father said in a video released Sept. 1 on X.
He added: "Moments like these remind us what a blessing clean water is yet, 1 in 4 people worldwide still lack safe drinking water. Entire communities and nations need our action and our prayer for the care of water for the blessed relief."
In the full video shared on the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network website, Pope Leo recites an original prayer written specifically for this month's prayer intention:
Lord of Life,
You have given us the gift of water,
source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope.
It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds.
We thank you,
because it is also a symbol of your grace and love
that renews us through baptism.
Today we ask you to teach us to safeguard it
with gratitude, justice, and responsibility.
Forgive us for turning it into a commodity,
forgetting that it is a universal gift,
a right without borders, meant for all your children.
We see with pain so many brothers and sisters
who lack clean water,
who walk for miles to find it,
who become ill due to its scarcity.
May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential,
able to live with simplicity,
denouncing waste and pollution,
defending the right of every brother and sister
to drink without fear and without inequality.
May our care for water
be a sign of love for the Creator
and a commitment to the lives of the poor,
educating new generations to value
and protect the Earth's resources.
Amen."
"Pray with the Pope" is accessible on the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network website and its digital platforms.
