VATICAN CITY — In a powerful call for unity and reconciliation, Pope Leo XIV led more than 30,000 pilgrims in the recitation of the Holy Rosary on Saturday evening at St. Peter’s Square. The solemn prayer vigil, part of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, was followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and centered on one theme: peace.
The gathering brought together rectors, volunteers, members of Marian movements, confraternities, and prayer groups from around the world. Pope Leo personally requested that the event be dedicated to invoking “the gift of peace”, a divine blessing, he said, that requires both prayer and personal commitment.
A Call to True Marian Devotion
During his reflection, Pope Leo urged the faithful to “persevere tirelessly in praying for peace, a God-given gift that we must strive to receive.” He reminded the crowd that authentic Marian spirituality means not only venerating the Virgin Mary but also imitating her compassion, humility, and faith.
“As we celebrate this Jubilee,” he said, “we turn our gaze to the Virgin Mary, who leads us on our pilgrimage of hope.” The Pope reflected on Mary’s final words in the Gospel, “Do whatever He tells you”, describing them as “a beacon pointing us toward Christ.”
He encouraged believers to embody the Gospel with “determination and joy,” promising that lives lived in such faith would be “transformed from being empty and dull to something full and vibrant.”
“Lay Down Your Sword” — The Path to True Peace
Drawing from the words of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, Pope Leo urged leaders and individuals alike to heed the command: “Lay down your sword.”
“Peace is unarmed and disarming,” he said. “It is not deterrence but fraternity; not an ultimatum, but dialogue.”
He emphasized that real peace is not achieved through military victory but through “justice and courageous forgiveness.” Addressing global leaders directly, he called on them to “have the courage to disarm,” warning that no ideology, religion, or policy can justify taking a life.
“Before disarming nations, we must first disarm our hearts,” the Pope declared. “Without inner peace, we cannot offer peace to the world.”
Seeing Through the Eyes of the Vulnerable
Pope Leo also challenged the faithful to “adopt a different perspective”, to see the world not from the viewpoint of the powerful, but from that of “the widow, the orphan, the exile, and the wounded child.” Only by doing so, he said, could humanity begin to bring about “a new era of justice and peace.”
He concluded by invoking the intercession of Mary, Queen of Peace, asking her to teach humanity to “listen to the cry of the poor and of the earth,” and to guide the faithful in living out Christian love — welcoming all as brothers and sisters and rejecting the “darkness of selfishness.”
As night fell over St. Peter’s Square, thousands knelt in silence during Adoration, united in a shared prayer for peace, a moment of profound hope in an unsettled world.
— By The Midtown Times —
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