Pope Francis has called for a global prayer marathon for the entire month of May, praying for the end to the pandemic.

Renewed interest in the prayer developed in the fall of 2018 in the wake of concerns about church unity and new revelations of the sexual abuse of children by clergy.

If prayer ceases, the Church has become like an empty shell that it has lost its bearings.

“I am encouraged and inspired by the pleas for peace that have continued to come from the family of George Floyd” over the Wright shooting, Archbishop Hebda added.

Our desires for the divine can be co-opted by artificial stimulants-. Ignatian prayer can help.

Pope Francis reflects on the connection between prayer and the communion of saints in his weekly Wednesday audience.