Pope Leo XIV says "Let us fast and pray to implore the Lord for the gift of peace" on Global Day of Prayer for Peace

Pope Leo XIV on today’s day of prayer and fasting for peace, in a post on his @Pontifex account wrote: "Today we celebrate the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, also invoked as Queen of Peace. Let us fast and pray to implore the Lord for the gift of peace. Let us #PrayTogether that hearts may be freed from hatred, that we may move beyond the logic of division and retaliation, and that a shared vision inspired by the common good may prevail."
Vatican News reported that bishops with their respective dioceses and ecclesial communities have broadly joined the papal appeal. In addition to the well-known wars in the Middle East and Europe, there are over 56 more or less “forgotten” conflicts that generate grief and suffering among peoples.

The world is “wounded by continuous wars,” with the independent portal ACLED (Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project) counting at least 56, from the most heated conflicts, such as Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, to lesser-known ones that often involve non-state actors, to the “frozen” wars that remain unresolved but always risk rekindling, as recently occurred with the border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia or the dispute between Pakistan and India over Kashmir.

Last Wednesday, at the end of his General Audience, Pope Leo XIV decided to dedicate Friday, August 22—the day in which the Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary—to prayer and fasting for peace.

Internationally, virtually all Episcopal Conferences and individual dioceses have responded to Pope Leo’s invitation. Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, the president of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, called for intense prayer for “an unarmed and disarming peace.”

Numerous individual dioceses and religious movements in Italy have also mobilized in response to the Pope’s call. The Diocese of Rome, in a letter from Cardinal Vicar Baldo Reina, who will preside over a Mass this afternoon at the Lateran Basilica, urged “every community, parish, family, and individual believer” to fast as “a sign of our communion and an offering of peace.”

The Spanish Episcopal Conference also announced in a statement that it has accepted the Pope’s invitation, recalling the letter addressed to the bishops on August 8 by its president, Archbishop Luis Argüello, in which he encouraged them to “intensify prayer and attitudes in favour of peace.”

“We ask that this invitation be widely shared among our parish communities, religious congregations, ecclesial movements, and pastoral groups, so that the cry for peace may rise united in the heart of the Church throughout the world,” said Cardinal Jaime Spengler, president of the Latin American and Caribbean Episcopal Council.

Among the special highlights is the support for the appeal of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia, whose territory includes Yemen, which has been ravaged by a “forgotten” civil war for over ten years. “Through fasting and prayer, we ask the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace, to intercede with her Son for peace, especially in the nearby Holy Land, and for the consolation of all those afflicted by this and all conflicts,” declared Apostolic Vicar Paolo Martinelli.

The Custodian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Ielpo, in a letter addressed to the Franciscan friars, emphasised that “peace is a long-awaited and deeply desired gift, especially in the Holy Land, which is marked by conflict and hope”.

“Let us pray that the international community will not merely stand by and watch, but will intervene to promote peace, respect for international law, and the safety of civilians, humanitarian workers and journalists,” he added.

In Asia, Father Qaisar Feroz, a Capuchin friar and parish priest of Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish in Bhai Pheru, on the outskirts of Lahore, in the Pakistani Punjab, organised a prayer meeting with nuns, adults and children and a fast for peace. In Cambodia, prayers were held in the presence of the Apostolic Vicar of Phnom Penh, Olivier Schmitthaeusler. In Myanmar, devastated by civil war, heartfelt prayers for peace took place among families and small groups of displaced faithful. Throughout the day, small groups of faithful went to St Mary’s Cathedral in Yangon.

Pope Leo XIV’s invitation was widely accepted by the Churches, there is still an urgent need for a “change of pace” at the political and diplomatic level. The world is torn apart by a “piecemeal Third World War” that already brought arms spending to a record level of $2.718 trillion last year.

The world, as Pope Leo XIV pointed out, urgently needs a change of perspective because “without forgiveness there will never be peace.”

“True forgiveness does not wait for repentance, but is offered first,” the Pope explained during last Wednesday’s General Audience in the Paul VI Hall.
Source: Vatican News

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