He said phenomena such as exploitation, human trafficking, weapon and drug trafficking, social injustices, slavery, unemployment, and carelessness for nature can all be traced back to corruption, which is "a profound cultural question that needs to be addressed."
And the Church, he said, "must listen, raise herself and bend herself on the sorrows and hopes of people according to mercy, and must do so without fear of purifying herself, assiduously seeking a way to improve."
An initiative of the Jesuit-run global prayer network Apostleship of Prayer, the Pope's prayer videos are filmed in collaboration with Vatican Media and Argentinian marketing association La Machi.
The Apostleship of Prayer, which produces the monthly videos on the Pope's intentions, was founded by Jesuit seminarians in France in 1884 to encourage Christians to serve God and others through prayer, particularly for the needs of the Church.
Since the late 1800s, the organization has received a monthly, universal intention from the Pope. In 1929, an additional missionary intention was added by the Holy Father, aimed at the faithful in particular.
However, as of last year, rather than including a missionary intention, Pope Francis opted to have only one prepared prayer intention – the universal intention featured in the prayer video – and will add a second intention for an urgent or immediate need should one arise.
In a press release for the new video, Cardinal Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said "we shouldn't speak about resolving the issue of corruption in theory." Rather, "we should confront corruption in every sector. It is the poor who pay for the parties of the corrupt."
According to the release, the video is the latest in a series of initiatives from the dicastery aimed at drawing attention to the worldwide problem of corruption.
Among these initiatives was a June 15, 2017 conference on corruption that coincided with the release of Turkson's book. The dicastery will also be hosting a conference on corruption in Naples Feb. 3, where the Pope's prayer video will be shown.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.