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Pope Leo has invited the faithful to a Day of Prayer and Fasting for peace -- the first such day he has initiated since his election as Pope.
At the end of the general audience this August 20, he said:
Next Friday, 22 August, we will celebrate the memorial of the 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.
Peace has been a key element of the Pope's pontificate in just 100-plus days.
Just yesterday, while visiting the Marian shrine of Mentorella in eastern Rome, he lit a candle in the chapel and made "a special supplication for peace in the world," said the site's rector, Father Adam Dzwigon.
Last night, as he left his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo to return to the Vatican, the pontiff was questioned by journalists about the Ukrainian conflict. "There is hope, but we still need to work hard, pray hard, and seek the way forward," he said.
A momentous Day of Peace
Pope Francis made a similar appeal at the start of his pontificate, some six months in. His intention was Syria, which in September 2013 was in an extremely delicate situation.
I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.
This appeal came just days after US President Barack Obama spoke of seeking authorization to enter the Syrian civil war, due to the use of chemical weapons on the population.
