Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of November is for all parents “who mourn the death of a son or daughter,” so that they may find “support in the community and obtain peace of heart from the consoling Spirit.”
In the video released by the Pope’s World Prayer Network, the Holy Father invites us to pray especially for those who suffer this “intense pain.”
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“What can you say to parents who have lost a child? How to console them? There are no words,” says the Holy Father.
Next, he specifies that “a spouse who loses the other is a widower or widower. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There is a word that says it.”
“But a father who loses a son, there is no word. The pain is so great that there is no word,” he says.
He also points out that “living longer than your child is not natural” and emphasizes that the pain caused by his loss “is especially intense.”
“Words of encouragement are sometimes banal or sentimental, they are useless. Said with the best intentions, of course, they can end up widening the wound,” the Pontiff continues.
Therefore, to offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, Pope Francis points out that “we must listen to them; being close to them with love, taking care of the pain they have with responsibility, imitating the way in which Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.”
“And these parents, sustained by faith, can certainly find comfort in other families who, after suffering a tragedy as terrible as this, have been reborn in hope,” concludes the Holy Father.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.