More than 100,000 people across the world joined Pope Leo XIV May 30 in praying the rosary for peace, a reality the Holy Father said is not a mere theory but “rather a daily commitment” that comes from genuine justice and love.
Pope Leo prayed the rosary at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens before about 2,000 participants. According to Vatican News, another 100,000 people joined the prayer at roughly 200 Marian shrines around the world.
Each of the Joyful Mysteries had a special intention, including for victims of war, medical personnel and humanitarian aid volunteers, prisoners, those who offer faith-based hope to victims of war, and an end to war and for peace.
Pope Leo said in an address after leading the prayer that a fitting accompaniment to praying the rosary for peace is Psalm 85:8, which proclaims: “Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for He will speak peace to His people, to His faithful, to those who turn to Him in their hearts.” These words express the hope the modern world, which is afflicted by so much violence and difficulty, needs, he said. He emphasized that God never abandons people, even when they forget Him.
“He comes in search of us and draws near with his everlasting love,” Pope Leo said. “As the prophet Isaiah reminds us: ‘Peace, peace, to the far and the near, says the Lord.’ Whoever trusts in God understands this proclamation of peace and becomes an instrument of peace, building it with his own hands.”
The Pontiff emphasized that peace “is not a theory to be tested in a laboratory, nor a naïve illusion,” or something to be sought for selfish reasons; instead, it “becomes possible when we choose to listen to the cry of those deprived of it.”
Suffering mothers and fathers, innocent children, “abused prisoners, refugees, and people of every age who suffer,” he continued. “All of them have but one word upon their lips: peace!”
The daily commitment to peace can unite persons, families, communities, and peoples, he emphasized.
Peace is always possible, the Pope declared, “because it is a gift from God.”
“This peace, His peace, has a face: that of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who through his life, given for us, reconciled heaven and earth,” he continued. “As the Apostle Paul writes: ‘He is our peace’. He is the one who breaks down the walls of hostility, conquers arrogance through humility and redeems all creation from sin.”
The Pontiff warned that distancing oneself from God also distances one from humanity and can lead to indifference toward others’ suffering.
“Every time we return to the Lord,” he said, “His peace becomes our responsibility, according to the duties and tasks of each person.”
The Holy Spirit can do “what appears humanly impossible” when Christians remain close to Jesus and act as His disciples, Pope Leo said.
No one should be forced to flee their homes because of threats of violence, he urged, and the innocent must be protected.
“The desire for power and the violence of words must give way to the thirst for justice and truth,” he said, adding that everyone has a duty to cultivate peace, especially by refraining from verbal and physical violence both in daily life and on social media.
“Dear brothers and sisters, true peace begins in a heart that loves. It is witnessed to by lips that speak words of reconciliation. It is reflected in eyes that look upon the world with gentleness and wisdom. This is true strength, the strength of truth and love,” he concluded. “God seeks peacemakers! May our Blessed Mother help us to answer him each day with our own ‘Here I am,’ not only in words but in deeds.”