Rosary for Peace with Pope Francis

Rome (Italy). On 31 May 2022, the Liturgical Feast of the Visitation of Mary Most Holy, at 18:00 (Italian time), at the end of the month dedicated to the Mother of God, the Pope will recite the Rosary in front of the statue of Mary Queen of Peace in the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

“Pope Francis wishes to offer a sign of hope to the world, suffering from the conflict in Ukraine, and deeply wounded by the violence of the many war theaters still active”, reads the Communiqué of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, which makes clear the reason for the prayer.

At the beginning of the Marian month, at the end of the Regina Coeli, the Holy Father had invited all the faithful to pray the Rosary for peace every day in May. “Our thoughts immediately go to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, ‘city of Mary’, barbarously bombed and destroyed,” he explained.

There will be different categories of people called to support the Pope’s prayer in representation of the People of God: boys and girls who received First Communion and Confirmation in the previous weeks, Scouts, families of the Ukrainian Community of Rome, representatives of the Marian Ardent Youth (GAM), members of the body of the Vatican Gendarmerie and the Pontifical Swiss Guard, and the three parishes of Rome dedicated to the Virgin Mary Queen of Peace, together with members of the Roman Curia.

As a sign of closeness to those most involved in the dynamics of these tragic events, also invited to recite the decades of the Rosary were a Ukrainian family, people linked to war victims, and a group of military chaplains with their respective Corps.

International Shrines from around the world were also involved, in particular some Shrines located in countries still affected by war or with strong political instability within them, the cause of numerous episodes of violence:

the Shrine of the Mother of God in Ukraine; the Cathedral of Sayidat al-Najat (Our Lady of Salvation) in Iraq; the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace in Syria; the Cathedral of Mary Queen of Arabia in Bahrain.

Along with these, there are also international shrines: Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage; International Shrine of Jesus Savior and Mother Mary; Jasna Góra Sanctuary; International Shrine of Korean Martyrs; Holy House of Loreto; Blessed Virgin of the Holy Rosary; International Shrine Our Lady of Knock; Blessed Virgin of the Rosary; Madonna Queen of Peace; Our Lady of Guadalupe; Our Lady of Lourdes.

These Shrines will pray the Rosary at the same time as the Holy Father and will be connected via streaming to the live broadcast of Rome.

At the Regina Coeli on Sunday 29 May, the Solemnity of the Ascension, the Pope once again invited the faithful, families, and communities “to join in this invocation, to obtain from God, with the intercession of the Queen of Peace, the gift that the world awaits”.

The statue of Mary Queen of Peace is located in the left aisle of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. It was commissioned by Benedict XV, created by the sculptor Guido Galli, at the time deputy director of the Vatican Museums, to ask the Virgin for the end of the First World War in 1918. Our Lady is represented with her left arm raised as a sign to order the end of the war, while with the right she holds the Baby Jesus, ready to drop the olive branch symbolizing peace. Flowers are carved on the base, to symbolize the flourishing of life with the return of peace. It is traditional for the faithful to place small handwritten cards with prayer intentions at the feet of the Virgin. The Pope will place a wreath of flowers at the foot of the statue before addressing his prayer to Our Lady and leaving his special intention.

The Rosary prayer will be broadcast live on the official channels of the Holy See and all Catholic networks in the world will be connected.