Praying with the Pope in April

In the video that announced his prayer intention for April, Pope Francis stated, “Defending fundamental human rights demands courage and determination.”

His prayer intention this month is the following:

“Let us pray for those who risk their lives while fighting for fundamental rights under dictatorships, authoritarian regimes and even in democracies in crisis, that they may see their sacrifice and their work bear abundant fruit.”

In the video, which can be viewed here, Pope Francis says that he is referring to “actively combatting poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, and the denial of social and labor rights.” He laments that human rights are often not equal for all, saying there are “first-, second-, and third-class people, and those who are disposable.”

He invites all people of goodwill to pray for those who “risk their lives fighting for fundamental rights.”