Pope Leo sets Aug. 22 as day to fast and pray for peace

(CNS) Pope Leo XIV asked Catholics to observe Aug. 22 as a day of prayer and fasting for peace and justice, particularly in Ukraine and in the Holy Land.

At the end of his general audience Aug. 20, the pope noted that the church will celebrate the feast of the Queenship of Mary Aug. 22.

"While our world continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine and in many other regions of the world," he said, "I ask all the faithful to spend Aug. 22 in fasting and prayer, asking the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer because of the armed conflicts underway."

"May Mary, queen of peace, intercede so that people would find the path of peace," he prayed. 

The night before his audience, as he was greeting people who gathered outside the Villa Barberini in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo told reporters the new diplomatic moves aimed at ending Russia's war on Ukraine are a reason for hope, but much remains to be done.

"There is hope. We still have to work hard, pray hard and seek the way forward," the pope told reporters late Aug. 19 as he prepared to leave the villa and return to the Vatican.

Encountering the pope the day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and a delegation of European leaders, the reporters asked Pope Leo if he had heard from any of the leaders.

"I hear from some of them from time to time," the pope said, but he did not respond to a journalist who asked if he speaks with Trump.

Pope Leo, who marked the 100th day of his papacy Aug. 16, also was asked how that was going.

It has been "a blessing from God," he said. "I receive so much. I really believe in the Lord's grace, and I am so thankful for the reception I have received."

Ending his short, second stay at Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo said he would return. "It's a grace to be here."