In 2001, the world became a new battlefield, with the terrorist attacks that rocked New York City. It started a war on terror that has never truly stopped.
When responding to such violence, St. John Paul II prayed a short prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace, asking for her to intercede for us before the throne of God.
From this moment I entrust these initiatives to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking her to sustain our efforts and those of humanity in order to achieve peace.
We ask you, Queen of Peace,
to help us respond with the power of truth and love
to the new and unsettling challenges of the present moment.
Help us also to pass through this difficult period,
that disturbs the serenity of so many people,
and to work without delay to build every day and everywhere
a genuine culture of peace.
And today we celebrate...