The Pope is set to take part in Aid to the Church in Need’s upcoming international campaign to have one million children praying the Rosary for peace.
As announced this week, Leo XIV will host up to 1,000 children at 5pm in the Vatican Gardens on October 1, coming from parishes and schools all across the city of Rome. They will gather at the Lourdes Grotto, at the high point of the Vatican Gardens, to recite the Rosary together.
It forms part of pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need’s (ACN) long-standing campaign to promote of recitation of the Rosary for the intention of peace. Running now for more than 20 years, this year is the first occasion when it will be held over a full week, from October 1 to 7, finishing on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
ACN notes it is inspired by the words of Padre Pio who commented that “when one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.”
The movement originated in Caracas, Venezuela, when in 2005 a group of children came together to pray for peace. Now 21 years on, the gathering has blossomed into an international movement spearheaded by ACN. The charity is also joined by the Shrine of Fatima, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and the World Apostolate of Fatima.
This year’s campaign is particularly linked to Fatima, drawing on the words from Our Lady’s apparitions: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
The 2026 event will see children from all over the globe participate in praying the Rosary, from the historic avenues of the Eternal City to war-torn Sudan and missionary parishes in Bolivia. “The prayer of children is intended as a simple but universal sign of trust and hope: children of different languages, cultures and countries united in the same prayer for peace,” ACN writes.
ACN is urging parishes, schools, churches and families to join the campaign, encouraging the praying of even just one decade as part of the initiative. Resources and instructions on how to pray the Rosary are provided by the pontifical charity.
So far, there are a little under 68,000 children officially registered as participating in the week-long event.
Michael Haynes is an English journalist in the Holy See Press Corps. He serves as Vatican Correspondent for the Catholic Herald, while readers can follow him at Per Mariam and on X @MLJHaynes.
