Pope Leo XIV has issued an invitation to unite in prayer and fasting on 22 August for peace, and calls for a “disarmed and disarming peace” in all places torn by armed conflict.

In his General Audience on Wednesday, 20 August 2025 the Pope said :

“Next Friday, 22 August, we will celebrate the memorial of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.

I invite all the faithful to devote the day of 22 August to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace.”