Pope calls on political leaders to serve the people in monthly prayer intention – Catholic Standard

Pope Francis has called on political leaders to commit themselves to the poor, the unemployed and the common good.

The world cannot promote “universal fraternity” without good politics, the pope said in a video message released July 30 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

The network posts a short video of the pope each month in which he expresses his specific prayer intention. For the month of August, the pope dedicated his prayer intention to political leaders.

“Politics today does not have a good reputation: corruption, scandals and it is far removed from people’s daily lives,” said Pope Francis.

“But can we move forward towards universal brotherhood without good politics? No,” he said.

Good politics, as St. Paul VI defined it, is “one of the highest forms of charity because it pursues the common good,” Pope Francis said.

As opposed to “doing politics,” he said, it is “a politics that listens to what is really going on, that serves the poor, not the kind that hides in big buildings with big corridors.”

“I’m talking about politics that cares about the unemployed” and understands what it’s like for people who can’t work, he said.

“When we look at it this way, politics is much nobler than it seems,” he said.

“Let us be grateful for the many politicians who carry out their duties with a will to serve, not with a will for power, and who direct all their efforts towards the common good,” the Pope said.

“Let us pray that political leaders will serve their own people, that they will work for integral human development and the common good, that they will care for those who have lost their jobs and that they will give priority to the poorest of the poor,” he said.