Pope Leo XIV asks Catholics to pray the Rosary for peace throughout October
Speaking at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Leo urged the faithful to pray for an end to war and to accompany their prayers with acts of penance, mercy, dialogue and reconciliation.
Pope Leo XIV has asked Catholics around the world to devote the month of October to praying the Rosary for peace and uniting those prayers with concrete acts of mercy, penance, dialogue, and reconciliation.
In his Angelus address, which he gave after Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes on Sunday, Sept. 27, the Pope issued what he called an appeal “particularly close to my heart.” Noting the setting, Pope Leo recalled that the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared there to St. Bernadette with the Rosary and guided the young saint in prayer.
“For this reason, today I invite all the faithful and all Christian communities to pray the holy rosary throughout the coming month of October, with the particular intention that wars may cease and that peace may be established among peoples in conflict,” the Pontiff remarked.
He stressed that prayer should lead Catholics toward action.
“Let us accompany this prayer with concrete acts of penance and mercy, committing ourselves always to fostering dialogue and reconciliation,” he said.
The worldwide prayer effort will begin visibly at the Vatican on Oct. 1, when hundreds of children from Roman schools and parishes are expected to gather with Pope Leo at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens to pray the Rosary for peace, Vatican News reported. The gathering is connected with Aid to the Church in Need’s “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative and will help begin a week of prayer leading to the Oct. 7 feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
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