By Chioma Polok
Pope Francis has designated October 7th as a day of prayer and fasting to mark the one-year anniversary of the Israeli-Hamas war.
The Pope stated that “as the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to devastate entire peoples and nations,” the Christian community must remember its calling to “serve humanity.”

Speaking after Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the opening of the second session of the General Assembly of the Synod, Pope Francis invited synod members to join him in a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on October 6th, the day before the anniversary. He expressed his intent to “offer a heartfelt plea to the Virgin” for reconciliation.
“Let us walk together, let us listen to the Lord. Let us be guided by the breeze of the Spirit,” the Pope urged.
Throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has consistently called for days of fasting and prayer for areas affected by conflict. Just six months after his election, on September 7th, 2013, he gathered thousands in St. Peter’s Square to pray for peace in Syria.
He has similarly called for prayers and fasting for the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in 2017, for Lebanon after the Beirut Port explosion in 2020, for Afghanistan in 2021, and for the consecration of Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 2022.



Leave a comment