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Francis encourages everyone to reach out to those who are depressed, desperate, or without hope but advised against comforting others with too many words
By La Croix International staff | Vatican City
Pope Francis in his special prayer intention for the month of November invites us to pray for and support people who suffer from depression or burn‐out so that they find a light that opens them up to life.
In his video message, Pope Francis reminds every one of the need to pray for those who are desperate, without hope.
"Overwork and work-related stress cause many people to experience extreme exhaustion — mental, emotional, affective, and physical exhaustion," the pope said.
His message comes as people living in the Northern Hemisphere enter the Autumn and Winter seasons, during which day light is shorter and the cold weather is often accompanied by rain and snow, and more time spent indoors.
"Sadness, apathy, and spiritual tiredness end up dominating people's lives, who are overloaded due to the rhythm of life today," Pope Francis said.
He encouraged everyone to reach out to those who are depressed, desperate, or without hope but advised against comforting others with too many words.
"Often, we should just simply listen in silence, because we cannot go and tell someone, "No, life's not like that. Listen to me, I'll give you the solution." There's no solution," the pope said.
Nonetheless "let us not forget that, along with the indispensable psychological counseling, which is useful and effective," Jesus' words can help us and others to find solace: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer developed "The Pope Video" initiative to assist in the worldwide dissemination of monthly intentions of the pope in relation to the challenges facing humanity.
Today, the network connects millions of Catholics around the world from diverse countries, cultures, and social and ecclesial contexts, through prayer.
The November edition of The Pope Video was created in conjunction with the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, a lay association of the Christian faithful founded in the United States, which offers spiritual support for people suffering various forms of mental illness.
The association's president, permanent deacon Ed Shoener, explained the need to respond to Pope Francis' call and the "need to fully overcome the stigma with which mental illness has often been branded in order to ensure that a culture of community prevails over the mentality of rejection."
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of millions of people.
It has also tried the mental and emotional resilience of countless people and has affected their psychological equilibrium. Sometimes, this has created situations of real anguish and despair
Pope Francis' call for us to pray and support those who suffer from depression is a timely invitation.
Father Fréderic Fornos, SJ, International Director of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, said our societies, with their rhythm of life and their ever-faster technologies, foster depression and the syndrome of exhaustion and stress known as burnout.
The pandemic has increased the suffering of many people, he said.
Father Fornos pointed out that Pope Francis message is one of offering consolation and care.
"This is also the advice of Evagrius Ponticus, a 4th-century Desert Father called the 'scrutinizer of the soul,' who identified eight sicknesses of the soul, and proposed paths of life, meditating on the Word of God," he said.
According to a press release accompanying the pope's special intention for November, the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network explains that around 1 in 10 people worldwide lives with a mental health disorder, amounting to 792 million people or 11 percent of the population.
Depression and anxiety account for around 3 and 4 percent, respectively, of those illnesses. They can sometimes lead to suicide when left untreated or are severe and recurrent.
Some 700,000 people commit suicide each year, making it the fourth leading cause of death in people aged 15 to 29.
The full text of the Pope's prayer intention is below:
We pray that people who suffer from depression or burn‐out will find support and a light that opens them up to life.
Pope Francis – November 2021
Overwork and work-related stress cause many people to experience extreme exhaustion —mental, emotional, affective, and physical exhaustion.
Sadness, apathy, and spiritual tiredness end up dominating people's lives, who are overloaded due to the rhythm of life today.
Let us try to be close to those who are exhausted, to those who are desperate, without hope. Often, we should just simply listen in silence, because we cannot go and tell someone, "No, life's not like that. Listen to me, I'll give you the solution." There's no solution.
And besides, let us not forget that, along with the indispensable psychological counseling, which is useful and effective, Jesus' words also help. It comes to my mind and heart: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Let us pray that people who suffer from depression or burn-out will find support and a light that opens them up to life.
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