COMMENTARY: As recent events have shown, the Holy Father, while not a trained mental health professional, exhibits what is called therapeutic listening.
With the month of October focused globally on mental health awareness, and with key initiatives like Mental Health Illness Week (Oct 4 – 10) and World Mental Health Day (Oct. 10), Pope Leo emphasized the need for the Catholic Church to be a community of healing in a time of a mental health crisis.
On Oct. 1, he dedicated his October prayer intentions for those involved in the mental health ministry. In particular, the Holy Father directed our prayers for the Church to become “a safe space where everyone has a place — a community that accompanies and never excludes, that listens without judging and draws near without fear.” Pope Leo’s October prayer intentions are much needed and I will certainly be keeping them in my prayers. I hope people all over the world join the Pope this month in praying for these special intentions.
In addition to coinciding with a time of year dedicated to mental health awareness, hisprayer intentions for the Church also reveal two important markers of his papacy. First, Pope Leo has addressed
