In a world torn apart by war and inhumanity – in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Siria, Haiti, Democratic Republic of the Congo and in so many other countries wounded by both visible and invisible conflicts – we cannot remain silent spectators.

Each day we see faces marked by pain, lives shattered, peoples deprived of dignity and peace, especially the women and children.

As Women of hope, rooted in faith and immersed in the wounds of our time, we feel a deep need to raise our voices and unite our hearts.

As Women at the frontiers, walking alongside those who suffer, listening to the cry of the poor and of the earth, we hold the responsibility to build communion, to protect life, and to call for justice.

For this reason, we invite you, in a spirit of communion and Gospel co-responsibility, to join in a collective act of prayer, discernment and witness, so that peace may not only be hoped for, but built.

In particular, we propose that 14 August be lived as a day of fasting and prayer, seeking the intercession of the Mother of God, Our Lady of Peace, whose feast we celebrate on 15 August.

Let us entrust ourselves to her, that she may tenderly answer the cries of the peoples and teach us how to be a humble and prophetic presence in places of suffering.

We ask you to:

• Encourage moments of prayer and reflection on the Word within your communities, in light of the present suffering in our world, allowing ourselves to be inwardly transformed.
• Engage with civil and ecclesial authorities in your respective countries, urging them to open paths of reconciliation, disarmament, the defense of human rights, and the protection of victims.
• Support concrete acts of global solidarity, through networks of humanitarian aid, welcome, and prophetic advocacy on behalf of the most affected peoples.

As Women who keep watch in the night, we continue to believe that even in the darkest hour, a light can still shine – the light of the Gospel, of justice, and of fraternity.

Together, we invoke the God of peace, that we may become instruments of his love, and we entrust this journey to the intercession of Mary, our Mother of hope.