Pope Leo has declared Friday, August 22, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other conflict-ridden regions.
Pope Leo has asked Catholics and other religious faithful to observe a day of fasting and prayers for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and other war-torn areas of the world on August 22 https://t.co/LwCJojdGqs pic.twitter.com/6YmxJg8ftF
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 20, 2025
VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo has called on Catholics and other religious faithful to observe a day of fasting and prayer for peace on Friday, August 22, urging unity in response to ongoing wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other troubled regions.
“As our Earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions … I invite all the faithful to live the day of August 22 in fasting and prayer,” the pontiff said during his weekly audience at the Vatican on Wednesday.
Leo, the first U.S.-born pope, was elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis. Since the start of his papacy, he has repeatedly appealed for an end to the war in Ukraine and met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in July.
The Catholic tradition of fasting, the pope noted, is a way of drawing closer to God in prayer and solidarity with those suffering from conflict.