Pope's General Prayer Intention for September

(August 31, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI is urging all to join him in the month of September to pray for politicians, that they may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth. The Catholic Church does not claim to be an expert or authority that imparts technical formation and expertise to politicians, but her mission is to "pass moral judgments even in matters relating to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. In this the Church concentrates particularly on the formation of the disciples of Christ, in order that they may ever increasingly become witnesses of His presence, anywhere and everywhere.
The Church does not meddle in politics, but encourages the lay faithful to demonstrate concretely in their personal and family life, in social, cultural and political life that the faith enables them to see reality in a new and profound way, and to transform it; that charity in truth is the most effective force that is capable of changing the world; that the Gospel gives a guarantee of freedom and a message of liberation and that the fundamental principles of the social doctrine of the Church such as the dignity of the human person, subsidiarity and solidarity are extremely relevant and valuable in order to support new paths of development in service to the whole person and to all humanity. It is also the duty of the laity to participate actively in political life, in a manner consistently in accordance with the Church's teaching, bringing their well-founded reasons and high ideals into the democratic debate, and into the search for a broad consensus among all those who care about the defence of life and freedom, the safeguarding of truth and the good of the family, solidarity with the needy and the crucial search for the common good.
Christians do not seek political or cultural hegemony but, whatever their work, they are animated by the certainty that Christ is the cornerstone of every human structure. Politics is a very important field in which to exercise charity. It calls Christians to a strong commitment to citizenship, to building a good life in one's country, and likewise to an effective presence among the international community's institutions and programmes. There is a need for authentically Christian politicians but, even more so, for lay faithful who witness to Christ and the Gospel in the civil and political community. This demand must be reflected in the educational programmes of ecclesial communities and requires new forms of presence and support from Pastors. Christian membership in faith-related associations, ecclesial movements and new communities can provide a good school for these disciples and witnesses, sustained by the charismatic, communitarian, educational and missionary resources of these groups. Sometimes, in the name of the common good, politicians deceptively resort to a confused cultural relativism and a utilitarian and hedonistic individualism that weakens democracy and favours the dominance of strong powers. That is why there is need to recover and reinvigorate authentic political wisdom, remembering that what is needed is a real "revolution of love". Therefore what is needed is a
social and political commitment that is founded not on partisan ideologies or interests but rather on the choice to serve man and the common good, in the light of the Gospel. Let us therefore join the Holy Father during the month of September in praying for politicians that they may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.