Rosary for peace and Day of Prayer and Fasting on Mon 7 Oct
At the conclusion of his midday Angelus prayer, Pope Francis appeals for a ceasefire in the Middle East, a release of hostages, and facilitating humanitarian aid to those in need. By Deborah Castellano Lubov Pope Francis renewed his appeal for a ceasefire in the Middle East and warned against spiraling into an even bigger war, […]
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At the conclusion of his midday Angelus prayer, Pope Francis appeals for a ceasefire in the Middle East, a release of hostages, and facilitating humanitarian aid to those in need.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Pope Francis renewed his appeal for a ceasefire in the Middle East and warned against spiraling into an even bigger war, at the conclusion of his Sunday Angelus address in the Vatican.
Addressing the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square after the midday prayer, the Holy Father turned his attention to the war in the Holy Land.
Appeal to release hostages
“Tomorrow,” Pope Francis recalled, “will be one year since the terrorist attack against the people in Israel, to whom I renew my sympathy.”
“Let us not forget that there are still many hostages in Gaza, for whom,” he appealed, I call for their immediate release.”
Since that day, the Holy Father decried, “the Middle East has plunged into ever greater suffering, with destructive military actions that continue to affect the Palestinian population.”
Humanitarian aid in Gaza
The Pope turned to the great suffering of the people of Gaza and the other territories.
“These are mostly innocent civilians, all people who must receive all the humanitarian aid they need.”
Immediate ceasefire
The Pope called for an “immediate ceasefire” on all fronts, including Lebanon, inviting the faithful in joining him in praying “for the Lebanese people, especially for the inhabitants of the south, who are forced to leave their villages.”
“I call on the international community,” the Pope continued, “to put an end to the spiral of vengeance and to stop any more attacks, like the one carried out by Iran a few days ago, which could plunge the region into an even bigger war.”
“All nations,” he said, “have the right to exist in peace and security, and their territories must not be attacked or invaded; sovereignty must be respected and guaranteed by dialogue and peace, not hatred and war.”
Rosary for peace and Day of Prayer and Fasting
In this context, the Pope recalled that later in the day he will travel to Rome’s Marian Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore to pray a rosary for peace.
Last Wednesday, at the Opening Mass of the Second Session of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis announced that he was declaring this October 7th as a day of fasting and prayer for peace.
Link to above article:
Link to article below, also from Vatican News:
Pope Francis says that “in this dramatic hour of our history, while the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations,” the Christian community is reminded of its call to “put itself at the service of humanity”.
By Joseph Tulloch
Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting for on October 7, the one-year anniversary of the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.
“In this dramatic hour of our history,” the Pope said, “while the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations,” the Christian community is reminded of its call to “put itself at the service of humanity.”
The Pope was speaking after Mass in St Peter’s Square for the opening of the second session of the General Assembly of the Synod.
He invited all the synod members to accompany him on a visit to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on October 6, the day before the anniversary, where, he said, he will “address a heartfelt petition to the Virgin” for peace.
“Let us walk together,” the Pope urged. “Let us listen to the Lord. And let us be led by the breeze of the Spirit.”
A long tradition
Days of fasting and prayer for warzones have been a constant throughout the pontificate of Pope Francis. Not six months after his election, on September 7, 2013, the Pope gathered thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square to pray for peace in Syria.
In 2017, he called for prayer and fasting in DRC and South Sudan. In 2020, in the wake of the Beirut Port blast, he urged the same for Lebanon. In 2021, he called for prayer and fasting in Afghanistan, and the next year, in a moving ceremony in St Peter’s, he consecrated Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
