Pray for peace, sustained by faith and hope, the pope said on November 6.

Opening his Wednesday general audience in St. Peter’s Square with a prayer to Our Lady of the Abandoned (Virgen de los Desamparados), patroness of Valencia, Spain, Pope Francis asked people to pray for the victims of the flash floods in Spain.

“I wanted to greet the Virgen de los Desamparados,” the pope told crowds of pilgrims at the Vatican after placing a white rose in front of her statue. “Today let us pray in a special way for Valencia and for the other regions of Spain which suffer because of water,” said the Holy Father.

More than 200 people have been confirmed dead in Valencia since heavy rains hit Spain’s eastern province last week. Ninety more people were missing after severe flooding swept through the city, destroying homes and personal property, businesses, roads and other public infrastructure.

Pope Francis venerates a statue of the Virgen de los Desamparados in St. Peter’s Square during his general audience Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, at the Vatican. | Julia Cassell/CNA

After his prayer to the Virgin Mary for the Spanish people, the Pope continued his catechesis on the Holy Spirit and the Church, focusing on the theme of Christian prayer: “We pray to receive the Holy Spirit, and we receive the Holy Spirit in order to truly pray; that is, as children of God, and not as slaves.

Inviting his listeners to reflect on Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans, which emphasized the need to learn from the Holy Spirit in order to “pray as one ought,” the Holy Father emphasized that prayer must not come from a place of fear and punishment, but from a place of freedom and spontaneity of a child who trusts in God.

“Each of us has little ones – children (who are either) nephews, nieces or (sons and daughters) of friends – and they always get good things from us,” he said . “And as (God) the Father, will he not give us good things? »

Pope Francis blesses pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for his general audience on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 at the Vatican. | Julia Cassell/CNA

According to the Holy Father, the only “power” that man has with God is prayer, because “he does not resist prayers”. He said it is the Holy Spirit who teaches the Church and every Christian how to pray.

“He testifies to us that we are children of God and puts on our lips the cry ‘Abba, Father!'” the Pope said. “It is God who prays in us.”

“True prayer”, according to the Holy Father, is when we allow the Holy Spirit to come to the aid of our weakness and to intercede for us “according to the will of God”.

“Jesus says seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you besides,” the pope said. “Instead, we seek something beyond our own interests, namely our own interests, and we completely forget to ask for the kingdom of God. »

Turning his attention to the needs of those suffering around the world, including the sick and elderly, Pope Francis asked his listeners to pray for those living in war-torn countries, following the conclusion of its general audience on November 6.

Pope Francis arrives in crowded St. Peter’s Square for his general audience Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, at the Vatican. | Julia Cassell/CNA

“We must not forget the martyred Ukraine which suffers so much. We must not forget Palestine and Israel. The other day, 153 civilians were killed. It’s very sad. We must not forget Myanmar, and we must not forget Valencia in Spain.