Reflection: An intense year with Pope Francis

In January 2024, I arrived in Rome to join the team of a Vatican foundation that coordinates and animates a pontifical work globally: the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. I knew very little about it, and even less about the Pope himself.

Although he is a Jesuit, my encounters with Pope Francis were limited to his visit to Chile in 2018 and observing World Youth Days from afar. Everything I knew about him was filtered through his writings or media reports. I was also unfamiliar with the workings of the Vatican.

Over the past year, I had the privilege of meeting with him six times in private audiences, alongside the previous director or other members of the international team. These meetings took place in the Apostolic Palace, sometimes to coordinate his prayer intentions, introduce him to the foundation’s members, or record footage for The Pope Video project.

He was always kind, approachable, and engaging. Upon arriving in his wheelchair, the first thing he did was greet everyone individually, not just generally. He knew the names of the cameramen and the situations of their families, and he always had a joke to lighten the atmosphere and foster connection.

He was very focused on his tasks, taking his prayer intentions seriously. They served as a way to connect with reality and help others understand it, moving us to address the significant challenges of humanity. He showed great interest in this apostolate. I had the opportunity to accompany him in global reflections on topics ranging from the role of women (April) to the mission of political leaders (August), supporting those who have lost a child (November), and addressing the plight of those fleeing their country (June). In short, he was deeply involved in everything.

This global prayer network was crucial for him. He understood from the start that nothing in the Church can progress without a personal, honest, and constant relationship with the Lord. In his own words: “prayer is the heart of the Church’s mission.” It involves exercising our baptismal priesthood by presenting the world’s needs to God sincerely and profoundly.

This is precisely what we strive to promote in the PWPN. It’s not just about naming monthly intentions or presenting them appealingly, but about learning to offer oneself daily in apostolic availability to collaborate with Christ’s mission by doing our usual tasks with readiness and care for humanity’s challenges. From him, I learned what it means to pray from the heart, in Jesus’ Heart, and for the heart of the world. It’s akin to what we express in the doxology of the Eucharistic Prayer: “through Christ, and with him, and in him…”

Beyond any more or less pious practice, our mission is above all to help people pray in a way that transforms their lives. That is, entering so profoundly into the compassionate Heart of Jesus that our hearts become like His. We strive to achieve this through the ClickToPray platform, particularly through the retreats and formations of The Way of the Heart, our spiritual itinerary. We ask, as a song I have had the privilege of singing in Spanish says: “Jesus, teach me your way of helping others feel more human. May your steps be my steps, my way of proceeding.” (Cfr. Tu modo).

At the end of the year, he appointed me international director, always emphasising the importance of maintaining a sense of humour. He was tired, undoubtedly, but not depressed. During one of our conversations, as we transitioned the mission with the previous director, he requested a copy of Gaudete et Exsultate in Spanish. He handed it to me and said, “Go to note number 101. Please, read it aloud.” It was a prayer by Saint Thomas More about the grace of living gratefully, enjoying jokes, and nourishing the body and soul with joy. I highly recommend it. It reflects his inner freedom despite the enormous weight of his mission, which we will never forget.

Links: www.popesprayer.va / www.clicktopray.org / www.thepopevideo.org

Fr. Cristóbal Fones, SJ (Chile)
International Director Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network