The Prayer Vigil for Peace, announced by the Pope, has finally consisted of a solemn Marian act, with a strong message in favor of peace, and the cry of ‘Enough of war’, ‘Never again war’, in “this dramatic hour of history”, said Leo XIV.
It was a Rosary to the Virgin Mary, in which the Pope prayed for the construction of peace in the world together with many faithful in St. Peter's Basilica, in this Roman evening.
In addition to the recitation of the Hail Marys, the Marian litanies, and the chanting of the refrain of the ‘Hail Mary’, the Pontiff has relied on texts of five Fathers of the Church: St. Cyprian of Carthage, St. Caesarius of Arles, St. John Chrysostom, St. Ambrose and St. Augustine of Hippo.
Precisely at this very moment, the talks between important delegations from Iran and the United States begin in Pakistan, while the war between Russia and Ukraine also has a few hours of truce on the occasion of Orthodox Easter.
Effectiveness of prayer, “let us lift up our eyes”.”
The Pope introduced his extensive address at the end of the Holy Rosary, arguing why the act, the efficacy of the prayer.
“Prayer, in reality, is not a refuge to escape our responsibilities, it is not an anesthetic to avoid the pain that so much injustice unleashes,” he said. “It is, instead, the most gratuitous, universal and explosive response to death: we are a people already rising again! In each one of us, in every human being, the inner Master teaches peace, impels us to encounter, inspires invocation. Let us raise our eyes, then! Let us rise from the rubble!” .
St. John Paul II and St. Paul VI: “Never again war”.”
The Pope then quoted St. John Paul II, when he said on the occasion of the Iraq crisis in 2003: ‘Never again war”,“ a cry also uttered by St. Paul VI on his first visit to the United Nations. »We must do everything possible! We know well that peace at any price is not possible. But we all know how great this responsibility is” (Angelus, 16 March 2003). Tonight, I make his timely appeal my own," added Leo XIV.
The human family
The Successor of Peter then forcefully pointed out a series of arguments for rejecting war. Among them, this one:
“The balance of the human family is seriously destabilized. Even the holy Name of God, the God of life, is dragged into discourses of death. A world of brothers and sisters with one Father in heaven disappears, and, as in a nightmare, reality is populated by enemies.”.
Therefore, he has called for a stop to war and the search for peace.
“Enough shows of force!”
“Enough of idolatry of self and money! Enough of demonstrations of strengthNo more war! True strength manifests itself in the service of life. St. John XXIII, with evangelical simplicity, wrote: ‘Everyone benefits from peace: individuals, families, peoples, all humanity».« And repeating the pithy words of Pius XII, he added: »Nothing is lost by peace. Everything can be lost by war" (Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris, 62).
“Let us unite the energies of millions of men and women.”
“Let us therefore unite the moral and spiritual energies of millions, of billions of men and women, of old and young, who today believe in peace, who today choose peace, who heal the wounds and repair the damage caused by the madness of war.
I receive many letters from children in conflict zones: reading them, one perceives, with the truth of innocence, all the horror and inhumanity of acts of which some adults proudly boast. Let us listen to the voices of the children!
Leaders: Stop, it is time for peace! Us: “equally great responsibility”.”
“Undoubtedly, the leaders of nations have inescapable responsibilities. We cry out to them: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit down at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and death is deliberated!” said the Pontiff, who leapt at this moment to personal responsibility.
However, “all of us, men and women from so many different countries, have an equally great responsibility: an immense multitude that repudiates war with deeds, not just words”.
Let us transform ourselves into a Kingdom of peace that is built day by day, the Pope added, “In homes, schools, neighborhoods, civil and religious communities, overcoming polemics and resignation with friendship and the culture of encounter. Let us believe again in love, moderation and good politics. Let us educate ourselves and commit ourselves to them first hand, each one responding to his own vocation. We all have a place in the mosaic of peace!”.
The Rosary has united us
The Rosary, like other ancient forms of prayer, has united us tonight in its constant rhythm, based on repetition: thus peace breaks through, word after word, gesture after gesture, as a rock erodes drop by drop, as on a loom the weaving advances movement after movement, the Pope continued.
Pope Francis: “artisans of peace”.”
Leo XIV has referred on this point to his predecessor: “As Pope Francis taught us, ‘we need artisans of peace, ready to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter with ingenuity and daring»” (Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti , 225). Indeed, there is «an “architecture” of peace, in which the various institutions of society intervene, each according to its competence, but there is also a “craftsmanship” of peace that involves us”.
The Church, at the service of reconciliation and peace
In concluding, Leo XIV encouraged us to return “home with the commitment to pray always, tirelessly, and to achieve a profound conversion of heart. The Church is a great people at the service of reconciliation and peace, moving forward steadfastly, even when rejecting the logic of war can bring her incomprehension and contempt.
The Church proclaims the Gospel of peace and “teaches us to obey God rather than men, especially when it comes to the infinite dignity of other human beings, threatened by the constant violations of international law,” the Pope stressed.
At the end, he referred again to St. John Paul II: “Brothers and sisters of all languages, peoples and nations: we are one family that weeps, hopes and rises again. Never again war, an adventure of no return; never again war, a spiral of pain and violence‘ (St. John Paul II, Prayer for Peace, February 2, 1991).
The Pope wished peace to all, and added: “It is the peace of the Risen Christ, the fruit of his loving sacrifice on the cross. For this reason, we direct our prayer to him:
Prayer to Jesus
Lord Jesus,
you defeated death without weapons or violence:
you dissolved its power with the force of peace.
Grant us your peace,
like the one you gave to the insecure women on Easter morning,
like the one you gave to the hidden and frightened disciples.
Send us your Spirit,
the breath that gives life, that reconciles,
that turns adversaries and enemies into brothers and sisters.
Inspire us with the confidence of Mary, your mother,
who stood with a broken heart at the foot of your cross,
firm in the faith that you would rise again. Let
end the madness of war,
and that the Earth be cared for and cultivated by those who are still
know how to generate, protect and love life.
Hear us, Lord of life!
Peoples, religions, races: “it is possible to live together”.”
Before entering the Basilica, the Holy Father greeted the faithful present in St. Peter's Square and addressed a few words to them.
The Pope said that “in these days of the Octave of Easter, we deeply believe in the presence of the Risen Jesus among us. United in the prayer of the Holy Rosary, asking the intercession of our Mother, the Virgin Mary, we want to tell the whole world that it is possible to build peace, a new peace.
“That it is possible to live together with all peoples, with all religions, of all races, that we want to be disciples of Jesus Christ united as brothers and sisters, all united in a world of peace”.
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