Pope calls for day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria

Angelus

September 1, 2013

Hello and blessed Labor Day!  Yesterday, in Saint Peter’s Square, Pope Francis gave a grave Angelus message for those present in the Square and for the whole world.  He addressed very seriously and with deep concern the current violence and brutality occurring in Syria, particularly the use of chemical weapons against civilians.  He addressed the real need for peace, peace among cultures and peace in each heart.  War only begets war, the Pope urges.  Each person is responsible for building peace; each person is responsible for pursuing it, promoting it and protecting it wherever they are. 

In his urgent plea, Pope Francis is calling the whole Church and the whole world to participate in a Day of Fasting and Penance on September 7, 2013, the vigil of the Nativity of Mary, Queen of Peace.  In Saint Peter’s Square, there will be a vigil from 7:00pm to 12:00am.  He is also calling each local Church to participate, as well as all Christians and men and women of good will.  Gathering together in a spirit of penance and prayer, the intention is to invoke God’s great gift of peace upon Syria and all places of experiencing war and violence. 

“Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; all of us are her children!  Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace.  Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!”