This Sunday, Pope Francis led the first ever “Holy Hour” in which he asked Catholics around the globe to pray together from 5-6 p.m. Rome time. The Pope asked believers to focus on two prayers: One for those “who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labor … [the] unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalization" and one for the Church and its leaders. A Vatican official told Reuters it was "the first time in the history of the Church" that an organized global prayer hour has ever taken place … Discuss

According to a new study released by Florida State University, individuals who pray for a “close relationship partner” experience improvements in the relationship, including “higher levels of cooperative tendencies” and more forgiveness. One of the authors of the study, Dr. Frank D. Fincham, explained the results, telling The Christian Post, "The value of the current studies is that we have objective measures to show that colloquial, intercessory prayer focused on the partner changes observable behavior” … Discuss

Joshua DuBois spent years as a Washington insider in his former role as the head of the Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships under President Obama. In a new column for The Daily Beast, he says that despite the perception of some Christians, there are many Washington D.C. leaders who come together regularly to pray, study the Bible and grow in their faith—including the president. In the piece, he profiles several high-profiles leaders in both parties whose faiths are an important part of their daily lives as political leaders in Washington.

From the column:

... Across the ideological spectrum, Washington is filled with people at the height of political power who are practicing their faith seriously and profoundly, but largely out of public view. I recently spoke to some of these people about the role that religion plays in their private and public lives. What their stories make clear is that—in coffee shops, vibrant local congregations, congressional offices, and White House corridors—God is far more present in Washington than most Americans realize.