Pope Francis has called for a day of day of prayer and fasting on Oct. 27 in response to the conflict in the Holy Land that began Oct. 7. A vigil in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican was planned for that evening as well.
Responding to the pope’s call, Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis invited the archdiocese to fast and pray for peace Oct. 27. Those celebrating Mass that day may choose one of the Masses from the Roman Missal section called “Masses for Various Needs and Occasions,” such as Mass n. 16 (For Reconciliation), n. 30 (For the Preservation of Peace and Justice) or n. 31 (In Time of War or Civil Disturbance).
The call for prayer follows a day of prayer and fasting Oct. 17 encouraged by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa — the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. Cardinal Pizzaballa encouraged worldwide parishes and religious communities particularly to participate in “prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary,” Catholic News Service (CNS) reported.
In a statement about the day, Cardinal Pizzaballa said “in this time of sorrow and dismay, we do not want to remain helpless. We cannot let death and its sting be the only word we hear. That is why we feel the need to pray, to turn our hearts to God the Father. Only in this way we can draw the strength and serenity needed to endure these hard times, by turning to Him, in prayer and intercession, to implore and cry out to God amidst all this anguish.”
On Oct. 18, well over 500,000 children across the world prayed the rosary as part of a campaign sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a nonprofit that works under the pope’s guidance to provide humanitarian assistance to persecuted Catholics. OSV News reported that ACN dedicated the annual rosary this year to the “healing and protection of the suffering in the Holy Land,” according to a press release issued by the organization.
National and global Catholic leaders have also called for prayers for peace.
“The world is once again shocked and horrified by the outbreak of ferocious violence in the Holy Land,” said Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, Illinois, who is also chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. “As we pray urgently for peace, we recall especially all the families and individuals suffering from these events.”
“Our hearts are shocked and saddened by the death of hundreds of people, and thousands more who are wounded or dispersed already,” said Bishop Michael Burbidge, of Arlington, Virginia, in an Oct. 8 statement. “It is my hope and prayer that the international community will work together to help ensure a peaceful and just resolution for the good of all.”
Oct. 12, Iraqi Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako, Patriarch of Chaldean Catholic Church, led prayers for peace at the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod, according to Vatican News.
The assembly prayed a series of prayers, including Psalm 129, with Cardinal Sako praying: “Oh God, who cares for all, let the whole of humanity who have one origin from you, form one family, without violence, without absurd wars and with brotherly spirit, live united in peace and concord for our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son who is God, lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever,” Vatican News reported.
Margaret Karram — a Palestinian born in Israel and president of the Focolare Movement, an Italy-based international organization that seeks to promote a more unified world — read prayers of petition for “the Holy Land; for the people of Israel and Palestine, who are in the grip of unprecedented violence; for the victims, especially the children; for the injured; for those being held hostage; for the missing and their families,” OSV News reported.
“I believe that we can take many steps for peace, but I also believe in the power of prayer,” Karram said.
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