Pope Francis

Let us pray to the Lord for Nigeria, so that every form of violence might always be avoided, in the constant search of social harmony through the promotion of justice and the common good.

Every Christian is called to be a weaver of fraternity. Missionaries and missionaries – priests, consecrated men and women, and lay people – , who sow the Gospel in the great field of the world, are especially so. Let us pray for them and give them our practical support and also for those who are persecuted or kidnapped in various parts of the world.

I appreciate that there has been a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan for humanitarian reasons, in view of reaching a substantial peace accord. I pray and invite prayer for the victims and for all those whose lives are in danger.

Let’s pray for the millions of internally displaced people. Just like Jesus and his parents who fled to Egypt, they live with fear, uncertainty and unease.

Let us ask the Lord for the gift of peace, for a world without arms of mass destruction! Let us dedicate ourselves to free humanity from nuclear arms, this serious threat to the human race.

Let us pray in silence for Don Roberto Malgesini and for all the priests, sisters, lay faithful who work with the needy and those society casts away.

I invite you to pray for students who are seriously deprived of the right to education due to war and terrorism. May efforts that guarantee safe environments for their education not wane, above all in situations of humanitarian crises.

I would ask everyone to join in a universal day of prayer and fasting for Lebanon on Friday next, 4 September. Let us pray for Lebanon as a whole and for Beirut. And let us demonstrate our closeness by concrete works of charity.

August 22nd - World Day Remembering the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief was celebrated. Let us pray for these, our brothers and sisters, and let us also sustain with our prayer and solidarity those, and there are many, who today are persecuted because of their faith and religion. There are many.

I continue to pray for Lebanon, and for other dramatic situations in the world that are causing people to suffer. My thought goes also to dear Belarus. I am following attentively the post-electoral situation in that nation and I call for dialogue, the rejection of violence and the respect for justice and the law. I entrust all Belarusians to the protection of the Madonna, Queen of Peace.