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Pope Leo XIV made an urgent appeal for a day of fasting and prayer to invoke from God the gift of "unarmed and disarming" peace in the "Holy Land, Ukraine, and many other regions of the world."
SEE ALSO : Pope Leo XIV says "Let us ask today for the grace to be able to forgive...As Jesus teaches us, to love" and Calls for Day of Prayer - Audience FULL TEXT + Video https://www.catholicnewsworld.com/2025/08/pope-leo-xiv-says-let-us-ask-today-for.html
At the end of today's general audience, he also explained why this coming Friday was chosen:
Next Friday, 22 August, we will celebrate the memorial of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.
I invite all the faithful to devote the day of 22 August to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace.
Before announcing the Day of Penance, the Bishop of Rome greeted the Polish pilgrims currently making their way to the Shrine of Our Lady of Jasna Góra and asked them to "include the prayer for the gift of unarmed and disarming" peace for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East." The Successor of Peter also addressed the faithful in the Middle East in his greetings in Arabic, recalling that "the Christian is called to love and forgive, following the example of Christ, so that his heart may be freed from all resentment and hatred and he may become a messenger of peace in the world."
The theme of forgiveness was also at the heart of the catechesis of the general audience: "The Gospel shows us that there is always a way to continue loving, even when everything seems hopelessly lost. Forgiving does not mean denying evil, but preventing it from producing further evil. It does not mean saying nothing has happened, but rather doing everything possible to prevent resentment from determining the future." "Let us ask today for the grace to be able to forgive, even when we feel misunderstood, even when we feel abandoned. Because it is precisely in these hours that love can reach its peak," the Pope concluded.
At the end of today's general audience, he also explained why this coming Friday was chosen:
Next Friday, 22 August, we will celebrate the memorial of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.
I invite all the faithful to devote the day of 22 August to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace.
Before announcing the Day of Penance, the Bishop of Rome greeted the Polish pilgrims currently making their way to the Shrine of Our Lady of Jasna Góra and asked them to "include the prayer for the gift of unarmed and disarming" peace for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East." The Successor of Peter also addressed the faithful in the Middle East in his greetings in Arabic, recalling that "the Christian is called to love and forgive, following the example of Christ, so that his heart may be freed from all resentment and hatred and he may become a messenger of peace in the world."
The theme of forgiveness was also at the heart of the catechesis of the general audience: "The Gospel shows us that there is always a way to continue loving, even when everything seems hopelessly lost. Forgiving does not mean denying evil, but preventing it from producing further evil. It does not mean saying nothing has happened, but rather doing everything possible to prevent resentment from determining the future." "Let us ask today for the grace to be able to forgive, even when we feel misunderstood, even when we feel abandoned. Because it is precisely in these hours that love can reach its peak," the Pope concluded.
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