“Don’t abandon them,” appeals Pope Francis in his prayer intention on video for the month of February 2017, dedicated to “those who are afflicted, especially the poor, the refugees and the marginalized.”
In the video made public on February 2, the Pope said “we live in towns that build towers, commercial centers, engage in real estate business, but leave a part of themselves on the margin, on the peripheries.”
“As a consequence of this situation, great masses of the population see themselves excluded and marginalized: without work, without prospects, without a way out,” he noted, exhorting to “not abandon them.”
The Pope’s words are illustrated with a street scene using the technique of the “mannequin challenge,” where the protagonists adopt immobile pauses around a homeless youth whom they then surround and help to his feet. “Pray with me for all persons experiencing trials, in particular those who are poor, refugees or marginalized, so that they find hospitality and comfort in our communities,” adds the Pope.
The Pontiff’s prayer intentions are diffused through the Pope’s Global Prayer Network “Pray at the Heart of the World.” This year, the Holy Father gave only one monthly prayer intention in advance, and he will decide on a second “urgent” intention each month.
Translation by Virginia M. Forrester
