Bishops unite in prayers with Pope for peace in Syria

Maltese bishops call on faithful to unite with Pope Francis in prayer and fasting for peace in Syria.

3 September 2013, 12:00am
by Staff Reporter

1 min read

Archbishop Paul Cremona

The Maltese bishops urged everyone to join Pope Francis in a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East and the whole world.

On Sunday, Pope Francis called for peace in the troubled region and offered a heartfelt prayer for world peace

The call for peace followed the escalation of violence in Syria and the West's threats to strike the Syrian regime in retaliation to the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government forces.

The Pope designated Saturday 7 September, the eve of the feast on which Catholics celebrate the birth of Mary, Mother of Peace, as a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East and the whole world.

On Saturday, the Pope will lead a prayer vigil between 7pm and midnight in St Peter's Square, in the Vatican and the Maltese bishops appealed to the faithful to follow this vigil which will also be broadcast on the church-run radio stations RTK and Radju Marija.

In addition to the Pope's request for prayer, the Maltese bishops recommended a number of initiatives to be followed, including offering prayers in parish churches and elsewhere, to "free the world from all wars and conflicts which lead to nothing but destruction, and instill in the hearts of all people, love and justice, which leads to unity and peace."

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Priscilla Darmenia •

Some thoughts on the comments below. It is a pity that our Maltese mentality considers prayer ONLY as asking God for favours, and if God does not comply then we ignore Him in everything else to pay Him back. Prayer, if said properly, is a praise to God, accepting his will (not ours) and asking him for spiritual and material help. Jesus gave us a good example of how a prayer should be. Say the Our Father – very slowly – meditate on each and every word and phrase and then perhaps we will appreciate and accept what God has in store for us. Unfortunately many times we want to be advisors to God not humble servants.

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Prayers can be pretty helpful, IF they actually worked. Quite a number of controlled studies have proved that prayers are totally non-effective as an answer to a problem. How many religious fundamentalists have watched and prayed over a sick child as he died, instead of calling for medical intervention.

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So the Pope is gathering the faithful around him in St Peter Square and Our bishops after we go for a Pizza we gather around the radio. Very holy. Kollox ta bilfors basta isqof ghal kull 100,000 persuna.

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What a waste of time, time better served by actually doing something!