Vatican City: Under the luminous evening sky of St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV led more than 30,000 faithful in a moving prayer vigil for peace, marking the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality. The event, centered on the recitation of the Holy Rosary followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, drew pilgrims, rectors, volunteers, and members of Marian movements from across the world united in a common prayer for the gift of peace.
The Holy Father had personally requested that this year’s vigil be dedicated to praying for peace a theme that has defined much of his pontificate. “We gather tonight,” Pope Leo said, “to entrust to the Virgin Mary our longing for peace, a gift only God can grant but one that humanity must actively seek.”
The massive square was filled with pilgrims clutching rosaries and candles as the Pope led each mystery of the Rosary, invoking Mary’s intercession for nations torn by war, families fractured by violence, and hearts burdened by division.
In his reflection, Pope Leo XIV invited the faithful to rediscover the depth of authentic Marian devotion, describing it not merely as veneration, but as imitation of Mary’s virtues. “True Marian spirituality,” he said, “means following her example her humility, compassion, and faithfulness to God’s will.”
He reminded believers that the Virgin Mary is “a guide for our pilgrimage of hope,” pointing always toward her Son. Quoting Mary’s final words in Scripture “Do whatever He tells you” the Pope said, “Like a radiant beacon, Mary points beyond herself, reminding us that the destination of every believer is Christ and His word.”
“Live the Gospel,” he urged. “Embody it with determination and joy. When we live the Gospel, our lives are no longer empty, but become luminous and full of grace.”
Turning to the world’s conflicts, Pope Leo drew from Jesus’ words in the Garden of Gethsemane “Lay down your sword.” The Pope said these words remain as urgent today as they were two millennia ago.
“Peace,” he declared, “is unarmed and disarming. It is not born of deterrence, but of fraternity. It is not achieved through ultimatums, but through dialogue.”
He stressed that true peace cannot emerge from conquest or revenge but must spring from justice and courageous forgiveness.
“‘Lay down your sword’ is a message for the powerful of the world for those who decide the fate of nations,” he continued. “Have the courage to disarm. But it is also a call to each of us: disarm your heart. No idea, faith, or policy can justify killing. Peace begins within, for we cannot share what we do not possess.”
Pope Leo then invited the faithful to change their way of seeing the world. “Let us adopt a different perspective,” he said. “Let us view history not from the seats of power, but from the eyes of the widow, the orphan, the refugee, the wounded child, and the exile.”
He warned that as long as humanity views reality only from the standpoint of the strong, “nothing will truly change.” A new world, he said, will only dawn when we begin to interpret history through compassion and solidarity.
As the Rosary concluded, Pope Leo XIV invoked Mary, Queen of Peace, with a heartfelt prayer. “Teach us, O Mother,” he prayed, “to listen to the cry of the poor and of our wounded earth. Help us to walk in service, to bear witness to love, to welcome every person as a brother or sister. Deliver us from the shadows of selfishness, that we may follow Christ the true light of humanity.”
The vigil ended with Eucharistic Adoration, the silence of thousands broken only by the soft chanting of hymns and the rustle of rosary beads. Many pilgrims wept quietly as the Blessed Sacrament was raised over the crowd, symbolizing a world’s plea for healing and reconciliation.
As night fell over Rome, the glow of candles and faith filled St. Peter’s Square a living reminder of Pope Leo XIV’s message: that peace, born in prayer and nourished by compassion, begins not in weapons or politics, but in the transformed hearts of believers.