World Day of Prayer

Recalling that May 24 marked a World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, the pontiff said he was close "to our brothers and sisters in China", and offered "a special thought to all those who suffer, pastors and the faithful".

He made his call in a message on the day Christian Churches mark the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation.

The first international World Day of Prayer was held in South Korea three years later with the theme, "That Jesus May Be Lifted Up."

The World Day of Prayer is a global prayer movement led by Christian women across denominations and observed in at least 170 countries.

Observed annually on the first Friday in March, the mission-focused prayer day centers on a different country every year with a new theme, which is coordinated by the World Day of Prayer International Committee, which aims to bring together women of all backgrounds around "informed prayer and prayerful action."