Observed next Saturday, June 8, is the fifth anniversary of the meeting, here in the Vatican, of the Presidents of Israel and of Palestine with me and with Patriarch Bartholomew. At 1:00 pm we are invited to dedicate “a minute” of prayer “for peace,” for believers; of reflection, for those that don’t believe: all together for a more fraternal world. Thanks to International Catholic Action that is promoting this initiative.
– Pope Francis – General Audience, 5th June
Lord God of peace, hear our prayer!
… Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons
of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our
quarreling into forgiveness. Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that
with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In
this way may peace triumph at last, … and our way of life will always be that
of: Shalom, Peace, Salaam! Amen.
INVOCATION FOR PEACE
Words of Pope Francis – Vatican Gardens – Sunday, 8 June 2014
On June 8 at 1 p.m. by ONE MINUTE FOR PEACE 2019 we take up the appeal of the Document “Human fraternity for world peace and living together” signed in Abu Dhabi on February 2019 by Pope Francis and by the Great Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb: “Al-Azhar and the Catholic Church ask that this Document become the object of research and reflection in all schools, universities and institutes of formation, thus helping to educate new generations to bring goodness and peace to others, and to be defenders everywhere of the rights of the oppressed and of the least of our brothers and sisters”.
We invite all people around the world: Catholics and Christians of other denominations together with believers of other religions, men and women of good will “to unite and work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters”. An occasion to remember also the VIII Centenary of St Francis’ encounter with the Sultan of Egypt Al-Malik Al-Kamel.
This initiative is aimed at individuals or groups and can become an occasion for meetings on June 8, or near this date, with a special care of the media and social media.
It’s up to us! Let us involve people to spread this initiative in order to count around the world a growing number of MINUTES FOR PEACE. One Minute for Peace” was launched by the International Forum of Catholic Action (IFCA), by the Italian Catholic Action and Argentinian Catholic Action, by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) and by others, for the first time on June 6, 2014 at 1 p.m., in support of the “Invocation for Peace” meeting, promoted by Pope Francis on June 8 in the Vatican Gardens together with the President of Israel (Simon Peres), the President of the Palestinian Authority (Maḥmūd ʿAbbās – Abu Mazen), and the Patriarch of Constantinople (Bartholomew I)
