The loss of a child may be the worst pain a father and mother can experience. There’s no word that could possibly describe such profound grief. Pope Francis asks us to join him in prayer this month precisely for those parents who have lost a child. 

In the Video produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network that accompanies his prayer intention, Pope Francis invites us to listen in a particular way to those fathers and mothers who suffer this heartbreaking loss – to listen to them and be near them with love, just like Jesus when he cared for the most vulnerable. 

The Pope stresses how important it is that families support each other with their faith, which is a great pillar on which hope can be reborn. 

“Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation.” 

"What can we say to parents who have lost a child? How can we console them? 

There are no words. 

You see, when one spouse loses the other, they are a widower or a widow. A child who loses a parent is an orphan. There’s a word for that. But when a parent loses a child, there’s no word. The pain is so great that there’s no word. 

And it’s not natural to outlive your child. The pain caused by this loss is especially intense. 

Words of encouragement are at times banal or sentimental, they’re not helpful. Spoken with the best intention, of course, they can end up aggravating the wound.  

To offer comfort to these parents who have lost a child, we need to listen to them, to be close to them with love, to care responsibly for the pain they feel, imitating how Jesus Christ consoled those who were afflicted. 

And those parents who are sustained by their faith can certainly find comfort in other families who, by suffering such a terrible tragedy as this, have been reborn in hope. 

Let us pray that all parents who mourn the loss of a son or daughter find support in their community, and may receive peace of heart from the Spirit of Consolation." 

By the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostolate of Prayer and the Eucharistic Youth Movement): https://www.popesprayer.va 

To see other videos and content about the Pope’s prayer intentions, go to: https://www.thepopevideo.org/ 

In collaboration with Vatican Media https://www.vaticannews.va/en.html 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ydmFxXxQDk&ab_channel=ThePopeVideo