Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for families in crisis.

“We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family but there’s no such thing as a perfect family,” Pope Francis said in a video released March 4. “Every family has its own problems as well as its tremendous joys.”

He pointed out that “every member of the family is important because each member is different than the others, each person is unique. But these differences can also cause conflict and painful wounds.” 

“And the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness,” the Pope added. “Forgiveness means giving another chance; God does this with us all the time. God’s patience is infinite. He forgives us, lifts us up, gives us a new start.”

The Holy Father reminded the faithful that “forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope. Even when there’s no possibility of the happy ending we’d like, God’s grace gives us the strength to forgive, and it brings peace, because it frees us from sadness and, above all, from resentment.”

He concluded with a prayer: “Let us pray that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.”

Pope Francis’ prayer video is promoted by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, which raises awareness of monthly papal prayer intentions.