Forgive us for turning water into a commodity, Pope prays

September 02, 2026

In the video associated with his September prayer intention (for the care of water), Pope Leo XIV prayed, “Forgive us for turning it [water] into a commodity.”

The Pope prayed:

Lord of Life, You have given us the gift of water, source of fruitfulness, freshness, and hope. It quenches thirst, nourishes the earth, and heals wounds.

We thank You, because it is also a symbol of your grace and love that renews us through Baptism. Today we ask You to teach us to safeguard it with gratitude, justice, and responsibility.

Forgive us for turning it into a commodity, forgetting that it is a universal gift, a right without borders, meant for all your children. We see with pain so many brothers and sisters who lack clean water, who walk for miles to find it, who become ill due to its scarcity.

May your Spirit make us pilgrims of the essential, able to live with simplicity, denouncing waste and pollution, defending the right of every brother and sister to drink without fear and without inequality.

May our care for water be a sign of love for the Creator and a commitment to the lives of the poor, educating new generations to value and protect the Earth’s resources. Amen.

The video was introduced by a short video in which the Pontiff said that “one in four people worldwide still lack safe drinking water. Entire communities and nations need our action and our prayer for the care of water.”

 

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Further information:

• Video Message ‘Pray with the Pope’ – September 2026: For the care of water (Dicastery for Communication - Vatican Media, 9/1/26)
• Pray with the Pope: For the care of water | September 2026 (The Pope Video)