Pope Leo urges Rome to recognise a day of fasting and prayer for peace

VATICAN CITY - Just like his predecessors – John Paul II and Francis – Pope Leo XIV also asks the people of Rome for a day of reflection to stop their weapons. The day chosen is Friday, which is the one dedicated to Mary Queen of Peace, reports Il Fatto Quotidiano.

 “As our land continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, Ukraine and many other regions of the world, I invite all the faithful to live the day of August 22nd in fasting and prayer begging the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer due to ongoing armed conflicts”, was Prevost's request at the end of the general hearing.

 An appeal accepted by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the CEI, and by various dioceses around the world. “We join the call of the Holy Father: the continuation of situations of violence, hatred and death commits us to intensify the prayer for an unarmed and disarming peace“, said the cardinal.

 The Catholic Church continues to monitor what is happening in Gaza. In a statement, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said that “it is carefully monitoring the rapid evolution of the situation in Gaza City, particularly in light of recent decisions and the ongoing mobilization for an imminent invasion“, as announced by the Israeli government.

 “Reports received from our Holy Family parish indicate that evacuation orders have now been issued in several neighborhoods in the vicinity of the complex. Our staff in the field testify that the noise and impact of the bombings are getting dangerously close to the parish complex itself”, the patriarchy continues. “Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and the entire patriarchate will continue to follow the situation on the ground and will inform about any developments. We stand with our brothers in Gaza and pray for an immediate end to this war”.

 The territories close to the Holy Land will also be the subject of the Pope's first apostolic journey in December. This was stated in a television interview by the Maronite patriarch Bechara Boutros Rai, who confirmed the rumours that Turkey and Lebanon were the Pontiff's first destinations.

 In Turkey, the Pope will celebrate the 1700 years of the Council of Nicaea, while in Lebanon, a country that has been the victim of economic crises and conflicts for years, he will make the trip that his predecessor Francis failed to make, despite the desire, expressed several times, to visit “beloved Lebanon.”

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