Pope’s General Prayer Intention for the month of July

(June 30, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI’s general prayer intention for the month of July is for those suffering with AIDS and that Christians may ease the physical and spiritual sufferings of AIDS victims, especially in the poorest countries.
Pope Benedict XVI calls on everyone to pray that Christians may reach out to victims of AIDS and try to ease their suffering – both physical and spiritual. As AIDS victims are so often judged on how they got the disease, they tend to feel alienated from society and from God. The Gospel teaches us, how Jesus brought the good news of God’s love to people through healing. Jesus looks upon sick people as individuals. He loves each one of them in their suffering. He wants to reach into their isolation, touch and heal them, just as he did to the leper in Mark’s Gospel. Even today through the Church, Jesus continues to bring about physical and emotional healing that can lead to spiritual healing.
According to estimates of WHO, the World Health Organisation, there are some 33 million people worldwide, who are HIV-positive, 22 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. The Pope invites us to show our solidarity with them. He hopes that through our prayers and practical attention, people affected by the HIV virus, may experience the presence of the Lord, together with His comfort and love. The Pontiff hopes that by redoubling and coordinating our efforts, it may be possible to eradicate this disease..