By Catholic Philly staff • Posted June 1, 2023

In his prayer intention for June 2023, Pope Francis asks us to pray for for the abolition of torture saying “Torture is not past history. Unfortunately, it’s part of our history today.”

In the video, Pope Francis offers the following message:

“Torture. Oh my God – torture!

Torture is not past history.

Unfortunately, it’s part of our history today.

How is it possible that the human capacity for cruelty is so huge?

There are extremely violent forms of torture. Others are more sophisticated, such as degrading someone, dulling the senses, or mass detentions in conditions so inhumane that they take away the dignity of the person.

But this is not something new. Let’s think of how Jesus himself was tortured and crucified.

Let us put a stop to this horror of torture. It is essential to put the dignity of the person above all else.

Otherwise, the victims are not persons, they are “things,” and can be mistreated mercilessly, causing death or permanent psychological and physical harm lasting a lifetime.

Let us pray that the international community commit itself concretely to abolish torture, guaranteeing support to victims and their families.”

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Editor’s Note: Read the full list of the Pope Francis’ Monthly Intentions for 2023 here.