Catholics have prayed for the Pope since the first days of the Church: when St. Peter was in prison, “prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). Today we pray especially for our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, the successor of St. Peter. Below are the traditional prayer Oremus pro Pontifice in Latin and English, other classic prayers for the Pope and the bishops, and what it means to pray for the Pope’s intentions.
Oremus pro Pontifice
The traditional versicle and prayer for the Pope, in Latin:
Orémus pro pontífice nostro N.
Dóminus consérvet eum, et vivíficet eum, et beátum fáciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in ánimam inimicórum éius.
The response comes from Psalm 41 (40 in the Douay-Rheims):
The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.
Say the Pope’s name where the text has “N.” This prayer is often followed by an Our Father and a Hail Mary.
A prayer for the Pope and the bishops
From F. X. Lasance’s With God (1911):
Jesus, invisible and divine head of Thy spouse the Church, Who, with Thy blood, hast purified and sanctified her, have mercy upon her visible head, N. (our Pope), upon all bishops and pastors, especially N., our bishop, and shed upon them Thy Holy Spirit, wherewith Thy apostles and disciples were filled, that they may maintain Thy holy faith pure and untouched, and may spread over the whole world the light of Thy gospel and of Thy Catholic truth.
The collect for the Pope
From a 1916 English daily missal:
O God, Pastor and Ruler of all the faithful, graciously look upon thy servant N., whom thou hast vouchsafed to place as Pastor over thy Church; grant him, we beseech thee, both by word and example, to benefit those over whom he is placed, that along with the flock committed to him, he may come to life everlasting. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Why Catholics pray for the Pope
Jesus founded his Church on Peter: “Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). At the Last Supper he told Peter:
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.
The Catechism teaches that the Pope, “Bishop of Rome and Peter’s successor, is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful” (CCC 882). Because his task is so great, the whole Church prays for him at every Mass, naming him in the Eucharistic Prayer.
Praying for the Pope’s intentions
To gain a plenary indulgence, one of the usual conditions is prayer for the Pope’s intentions: an Our Father and a Hail Mary, or any other prayer. The intentions are not the Pope’s personal wishes but the needs of the whole Church that he carries. Each month the Pope also proposes a particular intention for the whole Church to pray for through his Worldwide Prayer Network. See the Litany of the Saints, which includes a petition for the Pope.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the current Pope?
Pope Leo XIV, elected on May 8, 2025, the 267th Bishop of Rome.
What is the traditional prayer for the Pope?
Oremus pro Pontifice nostro N.: “Let us pray for our Pontiff N. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth: and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies.”
What does “pray for the Pope’s intentions” mean?
To pray, usually an Our Father and a Hail Mary, for the needs of the Church that the Pope carries. It is one of the conditions for a plenary indulgence.
More prayers for the Church
- Pope St. Martin I
- Pope St. John XXIII
- Pope St. Paul VI
- Pope St. Clement I
- Pope St. Sylvester I
- Pope St. Damasus I
- Chair of St. Peter
- St. Leo the Great and the popes named Leo
- Prayer for the Church
- Prayer for priests
- Prayer for vocations
- Litany of the Saints
- St. Peter prayer
Texts and sources
- Latin: Latin Wikisource, “Oremus pro pontifice”; the response is Psalm 40:3 (41:3), Douay-Rheims Bible.
- F. X. Lasance, With God (1911), public domain (Wikisource).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916 daily missal), public domain (archive.org).
- Scripture: Acts 12:5; Matthew 16:18; Luke 22:32. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 882 (vatican.va).