Pope Francis announces his prayer intention for June 2022

Pope Francis has announced that his prayer intention for the month of June is families.

The choice is fitting, since families from around the world will gather in Rome later this month for the World Meeting of Families on June 22-26. The pope's prayer intention in May was young people.

“Let us pray for Christian families around the world; may each and every family embody and experience unconditional love, and advance in holiness in their daily lives,” Pope Francis says in a video message released June 2.

The pope describes the family as “the place where we learn to live with one another, to live with young people and those who are older.”

While family love can provide us “a personal path of holiness,” the pope also stressed that “there is no such thing as a perfect family.”

Yet families must not feel hopeless about the struggles they face, he added.

“Let’s not forget that God is with us: In our family, in our neighborhood, in the city where we live, he is with us. And He takes care of us. He remains with us at all times in the swaying of the boat tossed by the sea: when we argue, when we suffer, and when we’re joyful,” Pope Francis says.

The video is part of a series created by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network in collaboration with the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.