His Holiness Pope Leo XIV is appealing to all Catholics to unite in prayer and fasting on Friday, 22 August, Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for a "disarmed and disarming peace" in all places presently torn by armed conflict.
"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," said the Holy Father to pilgrims during his General Audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall, Rome, August 20.
"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."
During June of this year, Bishop Earl Boyea urged all the faithful in the Diocese of Lansing to offer prayer, fasting, and thanksgiving upon each Friday of the month for peace in the Holy Land. Bishop Boyea's initiative was publicly commended by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.