Pope’s July intention: judges, lawyers, and those charged to administer justice

In The Pope Video for the month of July, Pope Francis asks all Catholics to pray for the judges, lawyers, and others charged with administering justice throughout the world.

The pope puts special emphasis on the fact that justice systems should always be at the service of the human person, respecting human dignity at all times. In addition, he insists that they should follow the example of Jesus, “who never negotiates the truth.”

The video highlights the problem of corruption, noting how the poor are those most impacted.

When the social environment is affected by poverty, hunger, and suffering, those whose profession it is to defend and ensure justice become indispensable, working to keep these conditions from creating what Pope Francis called “a breeding ground for illegality.”

For the Holy Father, justice cannot be merely a “spare suit,” or a disguise we only wear in public. Thus in July he’s asking us to pray particularly that those responsible for imparting justice may do their job with integrity, without selfish personal interests or hidden agendas, in a framework of transparency and impartiality.

In his own words, “The decisions made by judges influence the rights and property of citizens.” This power brings with it great responsibility, especially the duty of maintaining oneself “safe from favoritism and from pressures that could contaminate the decisions they have to make.”

Regarding the difficult struggles that administrators of justice must sometimes fight in order to discern correctly, Francis asks that they always look through the prism of kindness. He reminds us that “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13).

The pope’s special prayer intention is directed towards those who have in their hands the destiny of many people, “because when justice arrives late or doesn’t arrive at all, it creates great pain and suffering.”

He notes his desire and hope that injustice may never have the last word.

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