In the annual publication of prayer intentions for 2025, Pope Francis invited us to pray in May " For Working Conditions ." Due to his death, the video accompanying this prayer intention has changed its format. Thus, to encourage reflection, the video recalls some words of the last three Popes—John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis—on this topic.
The May Pope Video , produced with the support of the Rome Chamber of Commerce and the Fondazione PRO Rete Mondiale di Preghiera del Papa, and distributed by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, invites us to pray "that through work every person may be fulfilled, families may be sustained with dignity, and society may be humanized."
The video images, which accompany his remarks, bring together different life experiences revolving around the world of work. First, a carpentry workshop appears, featuring a statue of Saint Joseph the Carpenter, hand-carved in the 19th century from linden wood by master sculptors from Val Gardena, Italy. The diverse realities of the International Citadel of Loppiano, Italy, are also shown—the ceramics workshop, the agricultural cooperative, the company that handles the finishing and packaging of a variety of products—where work is experienced from a perspective of communion. And there is no shortage of images that evoke the exploitation suffered by millions of workers in many parts of the world.
160 million children forced to work
The world of work has been a central focus of the Church's teachings since the end of the 19th century, a result of the Popes' careful attention to reality and their concern for the spiritual and material well-being of people. In fact, currently, according to data from the UN and the ILO, 402.4 million people worldwide are unemployed; 160 million children are forced to work; 240 million workers earn less than $3.65 a day ; and more than 60% of the world's working population works in the informal economy, meaning that some 2 billion people lack labor rights and social protection.
The Popes and the world of work
Francis 's words emphasize that work confers " an anointing of dignity ": earning a living gives dignity to a person. Jesus himself worked as a carpenter, " a rather hard trade " that " did not guarantee great earnings ," and which united him with all workers of every age.
A few words from Benedict XVI highlight the primary importance of work for the fulfillment of the human person and the development of society. As a result, work must be organized and carried out " with full respect for human dignity and in service to the common good ." At the same time, human beings must not allow themselves to be " dominated by work... seeking to find in it the ultimate and definitive meaning of life," which is found only in God.
Finally, the words of Saint John Paul II urge us to confront the economic and social imbalances and situations of injustice that exist in the world of work, placing at the center " the dignity of working men and women, their freedom, their responsibility and their participation ." And all this without forgetting " those who suffer from lack of employment, from insufficient wages, from lack of material means ."
Precisely these imbalances and unjust situations make it necessary for us to pray that the focus of work and economic and social life is on human beings, not profit.