Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of April

In the month of April, Pope Francis has asked the world to pray in a special way for a culture of nonviolence and peace.

“Living, speaking, and acting without violence is not surrendering, losing, or giving up anything but aspiring to everything,” the pope said in a video message released March 30.

In the video, images of Pope Francis delivering his message are interspersed with scenes of war zones, bombed-out cities, people fleeing war, police at crime scenes, and peace protesters.

Pope Francis urged the world to “develop a culture of peace” and to “remember that, even in cases of self-defense, peace is the ultimate goal, and that a lasting peace can exist only without weapons.”

The pope’s monthly prayer intention is promoted and published by The Pope Video initiative, run by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

“Let us make nonviolence a guide for our actions, both in daily life and in international relations,” Pope Francis said.