Pope Francis’s prayer intention for September is for the cry of the Earth, which “has a fever and is sick, just like anyone who’s sick”.
As part of the Season of Creation – that annual time during which the Church reflects on the care of our common home – it is a powerful call to “deal with the environmental crisis caused by humans”. 
In his video message, produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, with the help of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Pope Francis asks if we “are listening” to the pain of the Earth, to the pain of the “millions of victims of environmental catastrophes,” and asks humanity to respond not only with “responses that are not only ecological, but are also social, economic and political”.

Humanity and creation

Hurricanes, wildfires, tsunamis, drought, melting glaciers: the cry of the Earth, can be heard more and more, as reported in the The Pope Video for September. The images accompanying Pope Francis’s words demonstrate the effects of the climate crisis on human beings: people fleeing environmental catastrophes, emigrants on the rise because of climate change, children forced to travel dozens of kilometres in search of a little water.
He says: “The ones suffering most from the consequences of natural disasters are the poor, those who are forced to leave their homes because of floods, heat waves or drought.”
Pope Francis’s concerns are being backed by reputable studies. According to the World Economic Forum, the lowest income countries produce one-tenth of emissions, yet they are the most heavily affected by climate change.
It is estimated that by 2050, unchecked climate change might force more than 200 million people to migrate within their own countries, pushing up to 130 million people into poverty.

For Pope Francis, “the fight against poverty” and “the protection of nature” are two parallel paths that must be trodden in the same way by “changing our personal and community habits”.
Humanity, the victim of the environmental crisis, can therefore also be the architect for change. And the images in The Pope Video demonstrate just that: from waste management to mobility, from agriculture to politics itself – there is so much to do and it all depends on us.
For humanity’s destiny and the destiny of creation cannot be separated, as Pope Francis has reiterated during his Pontificate, first in his encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015) and later with his Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum(2023).

Hope and act with Creation

These reflections are also in line with the Pope’s message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2024, whose theme is “Hope and act with Creation,” inspired by the Letter to the Romans.
“The protection of creation, then, is not only an ethical issue, but one that is eminently theological, for it is the point where the mystery of man and the mystery of God intersect,” the Pope reflects in his message.
“At stake is not only our earthly life in history, but also, and above all, our future in eternity.”

The Season of Creation – an initiative of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, which promotes the celebration of life and the protection of God’s creation – began on September 1 and ends on October 4, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assis, the patron saint of ecology. 

Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, Cardinal Michael Czerny, says: “Creation is groaning. Its suffering is caused by humans who were originally its guardian and are now it’s subjugator, who ‘arrogantly places the Earth in a “dis-graced” condition, deprived of God’s grace.’
“However, in his Message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the Holy Father invites us as Christians to hope and to act with Creation, which we could translate as ‘living in Faith.’ It’s about listening to the Holy Spirit who is love, not only toward our neighbour, but also toward Creation which is the work of God and is, therefore, interconnected with humanity.
“Only by liberating the Earth from the condition of slavery to which we have subjected it can we liberate ourselves as well, anticipating the joy of our salvation in Christ.”

Where can the video be seen?

• Official website of The Pope Video
• YouTube channel of The Pope Video
• Facebook page of The Pope Video
• The Pope Video on Twitter/X
• The Pope Video on Instagram
• The Pope on Twitter/X Verified @Pontifex
• The Pope on Instagram Verified @Franciscus

About The Pope Video

The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 228 million views across all the Vatican’s social networks, and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries. The videos are produced and created by The Pope Video Prayer Network team, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, and distributed by La Machi Communication for Good Causes. The project is sponsored by Vatican Media. For more information visit The Pope Video.

About the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Vatican foundation, with the mission of mobilising Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. The foundation’s mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus, a mission of compassion for the world. Founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer, it is present in 89 countries and is made up of more than 22 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM). In December 2020, the Pope constituted this pontifical work as a Vatican Foundation and approved its new statutes. Its international director is Father Frédéric Fornos, SJ. For more information, visit popesprayer.va.