Eva-Maria Kolmann, ACN International
Adapted by Amanda Bridget Griffin
Montreal, Thursday, July 31, 2014 – The international Catholic pastoral charity “Aid to the Church in Need” is inviting people from the whole world to take part in a Day of Prayer for Peace in Iraq, which is scheduled for 6 August, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Together with the Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako the charity is using this occasion to call on “all people of good will” to “combine our voices and our hearts before the Lord in order to ask for peace,” Patriarch Sako writes in his message for the World Day of Prayer.
To join together with our suffering brothers and sisters
The source of inspiration for this initiative had been the call of the Holy Father to stop the violence in Iraq, Johannes von Heeremann, the International President of “Aid to the Church in Need”, explained: “Last Sunday at the Angelus, Pope Francis called out to all mankind ‘Please stop! I ask you with all my heart, it’s time to stop. Stop, please!’ This urgent appeal prompted us to invite not only Christians, but also the faithful of other religions, and in particular various Muslim communities, who are also suffering very much from the war, to join in a prayer for peace which encompasses the whole world. In view of such suffering as we are forced to watch in Iraq today, it is time to join together with our suffering brothers and sisters and to show the world that we have not abandoned them.”
Patriarch Sako, who has also formulated the prayer for this initiative, wrote in his message: “The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord is a feast of the transformation of hearts and minds in the encounter with the light and love of God for mankind. May the Light of Tabor, through our proximity, fill the hearts of all those suffering with comfort and hope. May the message of Tabor working through our prayers move those governing this country to sacrifice their personal interests for the general good.”
Please take note that ACN is currently working on a way to send material assistance to Iraqi refugees.
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