Vatican city - Pope Francis expresses his gratitude to Catholics in the Italian city of Rimini for their dedication to praying the Rosary in the city’s square each month, urging Christians to spread the Gospel of peace, even in the face of persecution.

For the past decade, Catholics have gathered in Rimini’s main square on the 20th of every month to pray the Rosary for peace. To commemorate this anniversary, Pope Francis sent a message, released on Friday, to the Nazarat Committee for Persecuted Christians, the organizers of the monthly Rosary that has now spread to many cities worldwide.

In his message, the Holy Father thanked the Nazarat Committee for their attention toward “brothers and sisters living in lands affected by terrible conflicts.”

“Thank you for your witness of kind charity, solidarity, and especially for your union with the suffering of populations wounded by injustice, oppression, hatred, and greed,” said Pope Francis.

The Holy Father took this opportunity to encourage Christians everywhere to bear witness to the Gospel message of peace.

“Today, more than ever,” he said, “humanity needs the Good News of peace, and every Christian is called to proclaim and share it.”

He expressed his hope that those participating in the monthly Rosary prayer might “continue to be promoters of a culture of respect for all, of welcome, and of an inclusive fraternity where everyone can enjoy the bread of communion and the joy of solidarity.”

Pope Francis concluded his message with an encouragement for the 10th anniversary of Rimini’s public Rosary.

“I urge you to invoke the help of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, so that she may welcome us under her mantle and support us in times of trial,” he said. “May she kindle in our hearts the light of hope to dare for a future of serenity and harmony.”

The Rimini Rosary initiative began in August 2014 following the expulsion of Christians from the Nineveh Plain in Iraq at the hands of the so-called Islamic State.

Entitled “Appeal to Humanity,” the prayer is offered for all persecuted people, both Christians and non-Christians.

“This prayer is the affirmation of the Lordship of Christ—who can do all things—over each of us,” reads a communiqué from the Nazarat Committee. “It is the beginning of our transformation. Prayer is the most powerful instrument for changing history.”

Over the past decade, the Nazarat initiative has collected tens of thousands of euros, which it has sent to assist hundreds of vulnerable families, particularly in Syria and Iraq.

On August 20, Bishop Nicolò Anselmi of Rimini will lead the 10th anniversary Rosary prayer in the city’s main square.