Pope Leo encourages Christians to share the Good News in message marking start of global prayer campaign

Christ is “everything” for us and in him we find fullness of life and its meaning, the Pope says in an Ascension Day message recorded in English for the start of this year’s TKC prayer campaign. This is not something about which we can keep silent, he says.

“In him, we find the fullness of life and its meaning. This is not something about which we can keep silent. It is something to proclaim boldly (cf. Mt 10:27), for it is indeed Good News and needs to be shared.

“God is with us, and we who have encountered him are called to tell others about him. 

“These days of the “Thy Kingdom Come Novena” are an especially fitting time to do so, and to pray that others will also come to encounter the saving and liberating love of God revealed in Jesus.”

In his message, the Pontiff speaks of our longing for God to heal what is broken in us and broken in the world. At the core of our being, we know that only God can satisfy our deepest longings and inner restlessness, he says.

“We long for him to save us from our sins, our foolishness and all that might harm us,” he says.

“We long for him to heal what is broken in us and what is broken in our world. Even though we know that God is almighty and transcendent, we are still bold enough to ask him to be truly with us – not distant, but close.”

He adds: “While it is true that sometimes we stumble and forget about God and our need for him, at the core of our being we know that only he can satisfy our deepest longings and our inner restlessness.”

Pope Leo follows his predecessor Pope Francis in giving his public backing to TKC. The movement was first launched a decade ago and runs from Ascension to Pentecost, uniting more than a million Christians in prayer across the world for more people to come to faith in Christ.

Every person, household and church is encouraged to pray during the 11 days in their own way.