VANCOUVER — Bishops across Canada are inviting their faithful to take part in the worldwide day of prayer and fasting for peace called for by Pope Leo XIV on Aug. 22, the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In Vancouver, Archbishop Richard W. Smith wrote a message saying, “As wars continue to cause suffering in Ukraine, the Holy Land and other parts of the world, let us unite in prayer, asking the Lord for peace and justice, and entrusting our world to Mary, Queen of Peace.”
He closed his message by asking the faithful “to join me, so that our prayers may bring comfort to those who suffer and open the path to peace.”
The pope made the appeal during his Aug. 20 general audience, asking Catholics fast and pray, “imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts.”
“Mary is the Mother of the faithful here on earth and is remembered as the Queen of Peace,” he said. “May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace.”
Pope Leo also greeted Polish-speaking pilgrims on their way to the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa at Jasna Gora, asking them to pray for the gift of “a peace that is disarmed and disarming — for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East.”
On Aug. 19 at Castel Gandolfo, the pope again expressed his hope for a solution to the war in Ukraine, emphasizing the need to continue to “work hard, pray hard” for peace.
Canadian Catholic News with files from Vatican News and ACI Prensa, Catholic News Agency’s Spanish-language news partner.
