Right after the Angelus prayer of October 17, Pope Francis referred to the worldwide prayer initiative by the Aid to the Church in Need, “One million Children praying the Rosary” for unity and peace and thanked “the boys and girls who participate in this initiative”.
He said “Dear friends, today the Aid to the Church in Need is meeting in parishes, schools and families for the campaign, 1 Million children pray the Rosary for Peace. I encourage this prayer campaign, which this year is entrusted to the intercession of St. Joseph. Thank you, boys and girls who participate in this initiative of the ACN Foundation.”
This was the second year in a row that the Holy Father has joined the prayer campaign that ACN promotes globally. Last year, the Pope highlighted the fact that children are going to pray “especially in situations of crisis caused by the pandemic”.
The initiative which was held October 18 brought together children in more than 130 countries including Malta and Gozo. Hundreds of thousands of children gathered on the same day and in different languages and raised the same prayer for peace.
As in most countries, also in Malta and Gozo, this initiative has been receiving growing support from schools, parishes and movements. This facilitated the vibrant participation of school children across Malta and Gozo. Some of the children went the extra mile to write messages to their counterparts in Lebanon who are going through a difficult time due to the situation in their country.