Pope Francis invites Christians to join him in praying the Rosary for peace on Tuesday, 31 May, and to seek to listen well to one another, as the Church marks World Communications Day.
By Devin Watkins
VATICAN CITY — As the Marian month of May draws to a close and wars wage around the world, Pope Francis is inviting the faithful to join him in praying the Rosary for peace.
The prayer vigil takes place on Tuesday, 31 May, and will be broadcast live from the Basilica of St. Mary Major, beginning at 6 PM Rome time.
Speaking after the prayer of the Regina Coeli on Sunday, the Pope appealed for shrines across the world to join him in imploring the Queen of Peace for the gift of peace.
“I invite the faithful, families, and communities to join this invocation to obtain from God—through the intercession of the Queen of Peace—the gift which the world awaits.”
Heartfelt listening
As the Church marks World Communications Day on Sunday, Pope Francis urged everyone to listen more attentively to one another.
His message for Communications Day 2022, released in late January, goes under the theme: “Listening with the ear of the heart.”
On Sunday, the Pope expressed his hope that we might all learn to listen with our hearts.
“Knowing how to listen, besides being the first gesture of charity, is also the first indispensable ingredient of dialogue and of good communication: knowing how to listen, letting others say everything they want, never interrupting, and knowing how to listen with the ears and with the heart.”
Blessed Luigi Lenzini
Pope Francis also noted a pair of events taking place in Italy over the weekend.
He recalled the beatification in Modena on Saturday of Fr. Luigi Lenzini, a martyr of the faith killed in 1945 for embracing Christian values in a time of hatred and conflict.
“May this priest, a pastor in the mold of the heart of Christ and a messenger of truth and justice,” said the Pope, “help us from Heaven to bear witness to the Gospel with charity and frankness.”
Care for the sick
As Italy celebrates the National Care Day, the Pope recalled that a person with an illness is always more important than their disease.
“Even when healing is not possible, care can always be given,” he said, citing his message for the 2022 World Day of the Sick. “It is always possible to console; it is always possible to make people sense a closeness.”
