During his During his Angelus address, Our Holy Father, Pope Francis asked that
Saturday, September 7th be a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, and the Middle East.
The Holy Father stated:
To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on 7 September next, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all men of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative. On 7 September, in Saint Peter's Square, here, from 19:00 until 24:00, we will gather in prayer and in a spirit of penance, invoking God's great gift of peace upon the beloved nation of Syria and upon each situation of conflict and violence around the world. Humanity needs to see these gestures of peace and to hear words of hope and peace! I ask all the local churches, in addition to fasting, that they gather to pray for this intention. Let us ask Mary to help us to respond to violence, to conflict and to war, with the power of dialogue, reconciliation and love. She is our mother: may she help us to find peace; all of us are her children! Help us, Mary, to overcome this most difficult moment and to dedicate ourselves each day to building in every situation an authentic culture of encounter and peace. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us!
For your information: There will be a Holy Hour for peace, Saturday, September 7th at the Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria from 1p.m. to 2 p.m. Here we will be united in prayer with our Holy Father in Rome. This initiative is not intended to replace the day of prayer and fasting on Saturday, September 14th that has been requested by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. There will now be two consecutive Saturdays in which we are asked to pray for peace.