Facebook decided faith groups are good for business. Now, it wants your prayers

Video from Facebook's virtual faith gathering with religious leaders on June 29, 2021, is seen in this screenshot taken in New York City, U.S., July 21, 2021. Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Facebook has long sought your attention. In recent weeks, it has started asking for your prayers as well in a new tool now available for U.S. Facebook Groups.

The prayer feature is part of Facebook's recent and concerted outreach to the religious community, which it is speaking about in detail to media for the first time. Facebook sees worshippers as a vital community to drive engagement on the world's largest social media platform. As early as 2017, CEO Mark Zuckerberg cited churches as one example in a lengthy manifesto on connecting the world and the company created a team focused on "faith partnerships."