As the 60th anniversary of the conciliar document Nostra Aetate occurs during the month of October, the Pope dedicates his prayer intention to collaboration between different religious traditions.
In the new edition of The Pope Video Pope Leo’s prayer intention is: “Let us pray that believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice and human fraternity.”
His intention, which the Pope entrusts once again this month to the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is proposed at a time marked by conflicts and polarisation in which religions sometimes bow to the logic of opposition. The Pope invites us instead to rediscover in religion a bridge of fraternity and a reconciling force.
Not weapons or walls, but bridges and prophecy
The profound meaning of the prayer read by Pope Leo is that collaboration among believers is not relegated to theologians and experts but nourished by concrete and daily commitment involving every one of us.
In fact, the Pope prays that we might learn “to recognise ourselves as brothers and sisters, called to live, pray, work, and dream together.”
He also invokes the Spirit that “we might recognise what unites us” and “collaborate without destroying.” The different religious traditions are called to be “the yeast of unity in a fragmented world.”
His invitation is extended to all believers, Christians and non-Christians.
He says: “May religions not be used as weapons or walls, but rather lived as bridges and prophecy,” citing “concrete examples of peace, justice and fraternity” already present.
From above and below
The video recounts various concrete examples that intertwine with moments “from above” and initiatives “from below.”
On the one hand, historical milestones on the interreligious journey: the historic meeting organised by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986; Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Synagogue in Rome in 2010; the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi in 2019 under Pope Francis’ pontificate; up to the most recent ecumenical meetings of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. On the other hand, however, this month’s prayer intention recalls that interreligious dialogue cannot be limited to meetings with leaders.
This is why the images in the video highlight experiences organised on the local level or by ecclesial organisations: the interreligious meeting organised in Singapore in April 2025 by Caritas and the Archdiocese to commemorate Earth Day; or the “One Human Family” event organised by the Focolari Movement between May and June 2024. These are two recent and concrete signs of dialogue that create proximity, trust, and daily cooperation.
Nostra Aetate, 60 fruitful years
This prayer intention falls during the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican Council II Declaration that transformed the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religions, opening the way to dialogue, respect and collaboration. The production of the Pope Video marks the beginning of a month in which various initiatives are scheduled to reflect on the conciliar document’s legacy in contemporary society.
Ten years ago, on the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Pope Francis highlighted its timeliness, recalling that the path of dialogue requires knowledge, respect and esteem for one another, and that the world is asking believers for effective responses regarding peace, hunger, poverty, the environmental crisis and violence, especially the violence committed in the name of religion.
In that context, the Pope also underlined that believers do not have the “recipe” for every problem, but possess a huge resource: prayer, our treasure from which we draw according to our respective traditions.
Within the context of the Holy Year 2025, The Pope Video acquires special relevance since, through it, we know the prayer intentions the Pope holds in his heart. To properly receive the graces of the Jubilee indulgence, it is necessary to pray for the Pope’s intentions.
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