Following his first extraordinary consistory, Pope Leo XIV has outlined a programme of engagements aimed at drawing Catholics more deeply into both the intellectual and prayerful life of the Church, renewing attention to the Second Vatican Council while inviting the faithful to pray with him for the world’s pressing needs.
Speaking at his general audience January 7, the Pope said the teachings of the Second Vatican Council remain “the guiding star” of the Church’s journey. With the Jubilee Year concluded, he announced the start of a new catechetical series dedicated to Vatican II, encouraging Catholics to reread its 16 documents directly rather than relying on second-hand interpretations.
“Rereading all of its teachings is a valuable opportunity to rediscover the beauty and the importance of this ecclesial event,” he said, noting that the generation that lived through the council is largely gone. The council, he added, helped the Church rediscover God as Father, renew its liturgical life, and engage the modern world through dialogue, justice and peace. “We have yet to achieve ecclesial reform more fully,” he said, urging vigilance in reading the “signs of the times” and courageous witness to the Gospel.
On the same day, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication launched ‘Pray with the Pope’, a renewed prayer initiative under the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. The campaign invites Catholics to unite monthly with the pope in prayer for global challenges, beginning in January with a focus on learning to pray with the Word of God.
Jesuit Fr Cristóbal Fones, director of the network, said the initiative seeks to foster “a shared inner experience that aspires to transform life from within,” responding to the pace and noise of modern life. In the accompanying video, Pope Leo is shown reading Scripture in silence before offering a prayer asking that God’s word become “hope in darkness” and “strength in our communities.”
Future intentions will include prayers for peace, children with incurable illnesses, priests in crisis, respect for human life and families facing loss. Together, the catechesis on Vatican II and the prayer initiative signal a pontificate intent on uniting reflection and contemplation with concrete concern for the world.
