Pope Francis is calling on children throughout the world to pray the Rosary on Tuesday for peace in Ukraine and other war-torn areas, as part of the initiative “A million children praying the Rosary”.

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By Devin Watkins

Children across the globe will join together spiritually in praying the Rosary for peace and unity.

The annual prayer initiative “A million children praying the Rosary” will be held on Tuesday, 18 October, this year, and is focused on God the Father’s love for our world.

The Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) organizes the Rosary prayer every year, inviting parishes, schools, and families to pray for peace.

Prayer for peace in Ukraine and conflict zones
Pope Francis lent his support for the initiative on Sunday, as he spoke at the noon-day Angelus prayer.

He thanked the children for their desire to pray for peace in our world, and urged adults to join in their prayer.

“Let us join them, and entrust to the intercession of Our Lady the martyred Ukrainian people and other peoples who suffer due to war and every form of violence and poverty.”

Eradicating poverty
The Pope went on to note that Monday marks the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

“Each person can give a hand for a society in which no one feels excluded because they are poor,” he appealed.

God is ‘always in control’
The poster for the 2022 campaign depicts a globe with the hands of God supporting it, surrounded by children from every continent.

Announcing the initiative, Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, the president of ACN, noted that wars, wickedness, persecution, and disease can lead us to wonder if God is really in control of our world.

“Yes, He is,” answered Cardinal Piacenza, “but we must also reach out for His outstretched hands and cling to Him. God has reached out to us, through Mary … We believe that if we faithfully recite the Rosary together, then the holy Mother of God will lead us all as one great family into the loving arms of our heavenly Father.”