Appeal of the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference for prayer for peace

Warsaw, 20 August 2025

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

for several years now, war has been raging beyond our eastern border, and since 24 February 2022, full-scale military operations have been underway in Ukraine. We are following the ongoing talks for a lasting and just peace with great commitment. On 20 August 2025, at the end of the General Audience, the Holy Father Leo XIV addressed the following appeal to all the faithful:

"Next Friday, 22 August, we will celebrate the memorial of Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth, and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.

I invite all the faithful to devote the day of 22 August to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace".

In response to the Holy Father's appeal, I ask all the faithful in Poland to pray for peace. I ask that on this day, during the celebration of the Eucharist in our homeland, a prayer for peace be added to the universal prayer. 

May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede for the grace of peace for the whole world.

+ Tadeusz Wojda SAC
Archbishop of Gdańsk
President of the Polish Bishops' Conference