Pope Francis took up the theme of meditation in his ongoing teaching on prayer on April 28, saying that the current popularity of meditation is a good thing, but that for Christians, meditation is something more.
The Holy Father noted how "the practice of meditation exists in almost all the world’s religions" and even among those who are not religious.
However, the pope continued, this word meditation, in a Christian context, is something unique. We Christians go further than this stopping for a breath, he explained.
The pope explained that even within Christianity, there are various methods of meditation, some more simple, others more complex; some focused more on an intellectual dimension, others on emotions.
The fundamental aspect, then, is the encounter with Christ, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.