Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Sunday August 17 - DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE IN IRAQ AND SYRIA

US DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE IS SUNDAY, AUGUST 17

PHILIPPINE DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE IS MONDAY, AUGUST 18



Responding to the persecution of Christians in Iraq and Syria, Pope Francis requests prayers for peace in Iraq and Syrian.  This specific appeal was generated in the Philippines, and the date for the Day of Prayer there is on Monday, August 18. In the US, the Day of Prayer is on Sunday, August 17, Our Holy Father, Pope Francis request people of all faiths to pray. Please join us in praying.





DAY OF PRAYER FOR PEACE IN IRAQ & SYRIA

This Monday August 18, 2014 at the conclusion of his apostolic visit to
Korea, Pope Francis will preside at Mass at the Myeong Dong Cathedral
for Peace and Reconciliation. In recent days, we have been made aware
of the perilous and life threatening situation that our Christian brethren in
northern Iraq (and Syria) are going through.


At the Angelus prayer on July 20th, Pope Francis cried with pain: “Our
brothers and sisters are persecuted, they are pushed out, forced to leave
their homes without the opportunity to take anything with them. To these
families and to these people I would like to express my closeness and my
steadfast prayer. Dearest brothers and sisters so persecuted, I know how
much you suffer; I know that you are deprived of everything. I am with you
in your faith in Him who conquered evil!”


The Pope also appeals to the conscience of all people, and to each and
every believer he repeats: “May the God of peace create in all an authentic
desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence is not conquered with
violence. Violence is conquered with peace! Let us pray in silence, asking
for peace; everyone, in silence …. Mary Queen of peace, pray for us!”


Therefore as a gesture of spiritual unity with our persecuted brethren in
northern Iraq (and Syria) and in response to the call of the Holy Father that all the
faithful in the whole Church raise a voice of ceaseless prayer for the
restoration of peace, I request my archbishops and bishops in the
Philippines to offer all our Masses on August 18 as Votive Mass for
Peace and Reconciliation in Iraq (and Syria). It is humbly requested that the
archbishops and bishops also disseminate this information to all the priests
and mandate the priests to offer the same prayers in all their Masses on
August 18.


It would be opportune for our school children to be asked to pray the
rosary in school on August 18 for the healing of Iraq (and Syria). Let us be united with
Pope Francis in this quest for peace.


Let there be peace!


From the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, Manila, August
12, 2014
+SOCRATES B. VILLEGAS
Archbishop of Lingayen Dagupan
CBCP President

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tags: prayer, religion, peace, Iraq, Syria, ISIS, IS, ISIL, Syrian, Kurds, Christians, Muslims, Yazidi, war, revolution, persecution

This is all for now,
Cecilia


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