October 3-4, 2026
Dear parishioners,
As you know, the Church’s celebration of All Souls’ Day is one month away. It is one of my favorites, and it is the Church’s reminder to all of us that we are not only still connected to the souls in Purgatory, but that we also have a responsibility to pray for them! By the end of this month, I will provide my annual reminder about the indulgences attached to this feast day. As is the case for all indulgences, the usual conditions apply: sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, and praying for the pope’s intentions.
But it is the last of those usual conditions that I would like to address here. Since I have been here at Divine Mercy, I have had a surprising number of people express to me that they no longer pray for the pope’s intentions because they have disagreed with Pope Francis and/or Pope Leo on various items. These individuals have expressed to me that they are not sure what the pope’s intentions really are, or that they worry that they might be praying for something that is not really God’s will if they pray for those intentions they disagree with.
There is a lot to unpack in offering a response to those who feel uncomfortable praying for the pope’s intentions. A good starting point is to note that praying for the Holy Father is a duty incumbent upon every Catholic, regardless of whether we agree with all of his pastoral decisions, understand his gestures, or feel represented by his words. Prayer for the successor of Peter does not depend on the sympathy aroused by the man who occupies the cathedra of Rome, but on the office that Christ entrusted to Peter and that remains in his successors. As one website remarks in this regard: “And there is something particularly significant in this obligation: the Church does not pray for the Pope because it assumes that everything he does is assisted by a permanent grace. It prays for him precisely because he constantly needs the grace of God, just as we all need it. He needs wisdom to govern, strength to confirm his brothers, prudence to make decisions, holiness so as not to place himself above the will of God, and fidelity to safeguard what he has received” (no author listed).
From the citation above, we can rightly see that there is never an occasion for us to excuse ourselves from the obligation to pray for the pope and his intentions. Jesus prayed for Peter, even when he knew Peter was soon to betray him: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk. 22:31-32). Further, even in the immediate period after the Resurrection, the Church had already understood this obligation to pray for Peter: “So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:5).
Even when one is personally unsure about the pope’s intentions, the obligation to pray for those intentions remains the same. Note that the obligation is to pray for them, and to let Jesus sort out the rest. After all, even in the hypothetical situation that a pope’s intentions are not in line with God’s will (which I am not claiming is actually the case), then Jesus cannot be compelled to do something contrary to his own will, as if he was a genie that was forced to grant a wish. The notion is absurd! It is impossible for God to contradict himself. So, we have nothing whatsoever to fear when we pray for any of the Holy Father’s intentions. The Lord will grant us the merit of the prayers nonetheless.
The mention of merit brings us back to indulgences. A terribly unfortunate consequence of not praying for the pope’s intentions is that one cannot receive the merits of an indulgence, since those prayers are requisite for obtaining one. As such, one is depriving himself, or someone in Purgatory, from the remission of the temporal punishment (i.e. time in Purgatory) due to him on account of his sins. So, regardless of circumstances or any sort of misgivings, let us all pray for the Holy Father every day… and the souls in Purgatory too!
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
