Pope Video: collaboration between different religious traditions

In the Pope Video for October 2025 distributed by the Popes Worldwide Prayer Network » Pope Leo XIV asks that we pray, “That believers in different religious traditions might work together to defend and promote peace, justice and human fraternity.” Read the full press release below ».

Pope Leo’s prayer on the theme of diversity and inclusion in different religious traditions, October 2025.

Lord Jesus,
You, who in diversity are one
and look lovingly at every person,
help us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters,
called to live, pray, work, and dream together.

We live in a world full of beauty,
but also wounded by deep divisions.
Sometimes, religions, instead of uniting us,
become a cause of confrontation.

Give us your Spirit to purify our hearts,
so that we may recognize what unites us
and, from there, learn again how to listen
and collaborate without destroying.

May the concrete examples of peace,
justice and fraternity in religions
inspire us to believe that it is possible to live
and work together, beyond our differences.

May religions not be used as weapons or walls,
but rather lived as bridges and prophecy:
making the dream of the common good credible,
accompanying life, sustaining hope
and being the yeast of unity in a fragmented world.

Amen.

Not weapons or walls, but bridges and prophecy

The profound meaning of the prayer read by Pope Leo XIV is that collaboration among believers not be confined to theologians and experts, but nourished by concrete and daily commitment involving every one of us. In fact, the Pope prays that we might learn “to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters, called to live, pray, work, and dream together.” He also invokes the Spirit that “we might recognize what unites us” and “collaborate without destroying.” The different religious traditions are called to be “the yeast of unity in a fragmented world.” He continues, saying that the contrary is often the case: “instead of uniting us, it becomes a cause of confrontation.” Hence, his invitation is extended to all believers, Christians and non-Christians. “May religions not be used as weapons or walls, but rather lived as bridges and prophecy”.

From above and below

The video focuses on historical milestones on the interreligious journey such as; the meeting organized by Pope John Paul II in Assisi in 1986; Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Synagogue in Rome in 2010; the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi in 2019 under Pope Francis’ pontificate; up to the most recent ecumenical meetings of Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican. However, this month’s prayer intention notes that interreligious dialogue cannot be limited to meetings with leaders. This is why the images in the video highlight experiences organized on the local level or by ecclesial organizations. The interreligious meeting organized in Singapore in April 2025 by Caritas and the Archdiocese to commemorate Earth Day; or the ‘One Human Family‘ event organized by the Focolari Movement between May and June 2024 are great examples.

Nostra Aetate, 60 fruitful years

This prayer intention falls during the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, the Vatican Council II Declaration that transformed the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religions, opening the way to dialogue, respect, and collaboration. The production of the Pope Video marks the beginning of a month in which various initiatives are scheduled to reflect on the conciliar document’s legacy in contemporary society.

Ten years ago, on the 50th anniversary of Nostra Aetate, Pope Francis highlighted its timeliness. He recalled that the path of dialogue requires knowledge and mutual respect. He asked believers around the world for effective responses regarding peace, hunger, poverty, the environmental crisis, and violence, especially the violence committed in the name of religion. In that context, the Pope also underlined that believers do not have the “recipe” for every problem, but possess a huge resource: prayer, our treasure from which we draw according to our respective traditions.

An ongoing commitment

“The theme of interreligious dialogue is meaningful, often present in papal intentions,” says Father Cristóbal Fones, S.J., the International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. He recalls that over the years particularly in the month of January, coinciding with the World Day for Peace, Pope Francis called on us to pray for continued collaboration between different religious traditions. Some examples include the following years: 2016, Pope Francis prayed that “sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice”. In 2020, he prayed “that Christians, followers of other religions, and all people of goodwill may promote peace and justice in the world”. In 2021, “that the Lord give us the grace to live in full fellowship with our brothers and sisters of other religions, praying for one another, open to all”.

Father Fones explains that meetings between leaders of various religions always make the news as they should. He comments “They give hope at a time in which the temptation toward conflict risks compromising the need to come together”. He reminds us that “The prayer Pope Leo XIV reads this month tells us that collaboration deepens even when it does not make the news. Father Fones says “In everyday life – getting to know and respect each other, learn from each other, pray together for humanity, defend and promote peace in the places where we live are styles of daily life that we can all choose to unite and work toward the common good alongside our brothers and sisters of different faiths.” He concludes “Thus, believers become craftsmen of peace and fraternity. The Pope Video for October indicates a way of recognizing the dignity of each person, defending justice and sowing peace.”

Finally, within the context of the Holy Year 2025, The Pope Video acquires special relevance since, through it, we know the prayer intentions the Pope holds in his heart. To properly receive the graces of the Jubilee indulgence, it is necessary to pray for the Pope’s intentions.

The Pope Video is possible thanks to the generous contributions made through this website.