Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of November is for those who have lost a child.
“What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them? There are no words,” the Holy Father said in a video released October 31, according to a Catholic News Agency report.
He pointed out that “when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word. The pain is so great that there’s no word.”
“And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense,” he said. “Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.”
The pope explained that in order to comfort parents who have lost a child, “we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted.”
“And those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope.”
He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.”
Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.
