Religious leaders and families hold interfaith prayer vigils for peace

Religious leaders and community members held interfaith prayer vigils to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace and the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi.

In Cyprus, personnel from Task Force 68, led by Chaplain Diego Pereyra, participated in prayer services at various locations, including the San Martín field and the San Bernabé chapel within the United Nations Protected Area. The ceremonies included ecumenical and interreligious participation, featuring a British-Anglican chaplain and Rabbi Ariel Abel, alongside representatives from Slovenia, Bosnia, Great Britain, and Argentina. Prayers were conducted in Spanish, English, and Hebrew.

In Mexico City, an interreligious vigil was held at the San Juan Bautista parish in Coyoacán. The event brought together leaders from various confessions and mothers of the disappeared to pray for peace and hope. Auxiliary Bishop Francisco Javier Acero addressed the gathering, stating that true peace cannot exist while people remain missing in the country. The participants honored the memory of the more than 136,000 disappeared persons in Mexico, calling for religious and moral responsibility to support searching families and act as builders of peace.