Pope Leo prays Rosary with children as global prayer for peace begins

Pope Leo XIV prayed the Rosary with hundreds of children at the Vatican Oct. 1, launching a worldwide initiative inviting children to pray for peace.

The gathering marked the start of Aid to the Church in Need’s “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative, which continues through Oct. 7, according to Vatican News. Aid to the Church in Need is a Catholic charity supporting persecuted and suffering Christians worldwide.

In his remarks, the Holy Father told the children they were asking Jesus and Mary for “a special gift: peace for all the children of the world, especially those who live in places where there is war, in so many countries around the world.”

Pope Leo spoke of the gathering as part of a prayer shared by about one million children across the globe.

“Think about it, fifty million ‘Hail Marys’ rising to Heaven from every part of the world and in every language, asking for peace, joining together like one enormous Rosary, embracing all the continents, peoples, and nations of the world,” Pope Leo said.

Participants prayed each decade in a different language at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens. The gathering drew about 1,300 people, including 700 children from Roman schools and parishes.

Cardinal Kurt Koch, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, addressed the children before the prayer.

“It is precisely the voices of the youngest, who entrust themselves to him with confidence, that find a special welcome in the heart of God,” he said.

The Holy Father also connected the children’s prayer for peace with their treatment of others.

“Prayers must also be accompanied by good deeds and acts of love,” Pope Leo said. “That is how peace grows.”

>> Pope Leo XIV asks Catholics to pray the Rosary for peace throughout October <<