Pope Leo XIV’s December prayer intention: for Christians in war zones, especially the Middle East, to become “seeds of peace, reconciliation, and hope.”
Newsroom (27/11/2025 Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics worldwide to pray in December for Christians enduring war and conflict, with particular attention to those 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,” the Holy Father said in a video message released November 25 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.
Father Cristóbal Fones, international director of the network, described the intention as “a gesture of closeness and hope,” stressing that it assures Christians in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and other affected nations that “they are not forgotten” and that the universal Church accompanies them. He added that faith can flourish amid trials and that wounded communities remain capable of sowing reconciliation and peace.
The Pope has shared a special prayer for the month, inviting the faithful to join him in asking God to sustain persecuted believers and transform them into instruments of peace and forgiveness.
Below is the prayer that Pope Leo XIV encourages us to pray this December:
God of peace,
who through the blood of Your Son
has reconciled the world to Yourself,
today we pray for Christians
living amidst wars and violence.
Even surrounded by pain, may they
never cease to feel the gentle kindness of your presence
and the prayers of their brothers and sisters in faith.
For only through You, and strengthened by fraternal bonds,
can they become the seeds of reconciliation,
builders of hope in ways both small and great,
capable of forgiving and moving forward,
of bridging divides,
and of seeking justice with mercy.
Lord Jesus, who called blessed
those who work for peace,
make us Your instruments of peace
even where harmony seems impossible.
Holy Spirit,
source of hope in the darkest times,
sustain the faith of those who suffer and strengthen their hope.
Do not let us fall into indifference,
and make us builders of unity, like Jesus.
Amen.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from CNA
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