Pope Leo calls for Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace on August 22

 VATICAN NEWS

 FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV during his first General Audience, where the faithful wave a peace flag  

 

 Pope Leo XIV invites the faithful to unite in prayer and fasting on 22 August for peace, and calls for a "disarmed and disarming peace" in all places torn by armed conflict.

 

Addressing the faithful gathered in the Paul VI Hall for his weekly General Audience, Pope Leo XIV turned his thoughts once more to the world’s many conflict zones.

In recalling the upcoming liturgical commemoration of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on Friday, 22 August, the Pope invited the faithful to celebrate that day by praying and fasting for peace.

 

“Mary is the Mother of the faithful here on earth and is remembered as the Queen of Peace,” the Pope said.

 

As our world continues to be wounded by wars - in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in other parts of the world - the Pope invited all the faithful to take part in "a day of prayer and fasting" for all those who suffer because of war, "imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice, and to wipe away the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts."

   Pope Leo XIV with US Vice President JD Vance in the Vatican

"May Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path of peace," he added.

 Pope Leo also greeted Polish-speaking faithful making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa at Jasna Góra, who were attending the audience.

 

“I ask you", he said, "to include in your intentions the supplication for the gift of peace – a peace that is disarmed and disarming – for the whole world, especially for Ukraine and the Middle East."

Football the Beautiful 90 Minutes Game

 

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

 

Africa’s most celebrated football icons: Victor Wanyana (Kenya), Denis Onyango (Uganda) and Mrisho Ngasa (Tanzania) at the unveiling of the new trophy for the Africa Nations Championship 2024. CAF online Photo

For the first time Uganda Cranes have progressed to the quarter finals of the Total Energies African Nations Championship. The celebrations that ensued will be remembered for some good time. Not with the style and drama in which it was achieved!

 

Uganda’s journey to the quarter finals is another tale of its own. The opening match was between Uganda the host and Algeria. At the end of the 90 minutes, Uganda was crest fallen as Algeria won with a resounding three goals to zero! The 2024 African Nations Championship is being played in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

 

Ugandans made sure that their anger with the results, and the general performance of the team, is clearly presented to the managers of the national team. The President’s offer of one billion and two- hundred million shillings was also greeted with the supporters’ wrath arguing that it made more sense to fund the sports docket as a whole.

 

But to prove that the anger and criticisms were in good faith, fans returned to Nelson Mandela National Stadium- Namboole in big numbers and they did occupy the position of the twelfth player. At the end of the ninety minutes, Uganda was counting three while Guinea Conakry was empty handed!

 

Niger also met the same fate from the Uganda Cranes. Uganda left Namboole with two goals while Niger had none.  

 

Algeria and South Africa were the group favourites but football being what it is, at the end of the first three games for all the five teams, it was Uganda at the top with six points. The favourites each had five points. The stakes for the group closing games were indeed high. But Uganda needed only a draw with South Africa.

 

The Uganda vs South Africa group closing match was to kick off at 8:00 pm but by 4:00 pm Namboole was packed to capacity. Tickets for the match were sold out four days to the kick off.

 Right from kick off Uganda Cranes showed the desire for an outright win. And at half time, Uganda was leading 1-0.

 

                                           Nelson Mandela National Stadium

There is no doubt that Uganda indeed possesses a lot of talent but poor administration and funding are letting down our young people. With the Buganda Masaza tournament, it is obvious that a lot of talent is being wasted in the countryside. Buganda Masaza tournament has become the recruiting agency for the Uganda Cranes. The Federation of Uganda Football Association should style up.

 

Majority, if not all teams in the Uganda Premier League are clearly struggling. The African Nations Championship is for only the players in the national leagues of the competing countries.

 For Uganda it is almost hard to state the type of football that is synonymous with the national team.  There is no consistency. Players have been playing high balls yet they are not good in the air. This denied us a lot of chances and the flow of the game was being interrupted all the time.

 

The accuracy of the ground passes should be more thorough and precise. There is no other way of putting the opponent on the defensive, and keep him panicking than with this type of passing the ball.

 August 18 will remain in Uganda’s football records for a long time since this is the day the country made that emphatic progress to the quarter finals beating South Africa. But the second half brought tremours in the hearts of Ugandan fans as South Africa made successive scores to lead Uganda 3-1 until the last minutes of the game.

 

 Jude Ssemugabi celebrates Uganda Cranes’ first goal. All CAF Photos

This beautiful game of football is a 90 minutes challenge that is not over until the final whistle is blown. It was clearly obvious that Uganda Cranes switched off at one time yet in football you switch off at your own risk.

 Unfortunately even some fans started moving out of the stadium crest fallen! But the final whistle had not yet gone. For football even a second is enough to turn the score around. And that is exactly what happened.

 

As the players pushed ahead, Uganda got two successive penalties and the draw that was enough to progress Uganda Cranes to the quarter finals was in the bag. In the 87^th minute Uganda Cranes got the second goal after Allan Okello converted the penalty resulting from a foul on the advancing Cranes player. The stadium and those watching on their television sets went wild with joy. For South Africa it was tears and disbelief!

 

That is the beautiful game of football. It is played for ninety minutes.

 

 

 

  

Faith in a dumpster fire world

VATICAN NEWS 

By Jenny Kraska

As the Church marks the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jenny Kraska reflects on the theme, "Faith in a dumpster fire world".

 

Jesus giving His Sermon on the Mount

Lord’s Day Reflection on the 20^th Sunday in ordinary time Year C

1^st Reading Jeremiah (38:4-6, 8-10)

Ps 40:2, 3, 4, 18

2^nd Reading Hebrews (12:1-4)

Gospel according to Luke (12:49-53)

 At first hearing the Gospel reading, the words of Jesus can be unsettling: “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” We know Jesus as the Prince of Peace, the One who came to reconcile all things to the Father. Yet in this Gospel reading He speaks of fire, division, and strife.

           This apparent contradiction can leave us perplexed. But Christ Himself was a sign of contradiction, as Simeon foretold when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple. His life and mission revealed the love and mercy of God, yet that same truth and love confronted sin, hypocrisy, and injustice. The Gospel comforts the afflicted but also afflicts the comfortable.

           To follow Christ is to share in His mission, and that means we too will sometimes become signs of contradiction. Our call to be saints and to bear witness to the Gospel will not always be met with applause or agreement. Truth, even when spoken with love, can stir resistance. Think of St. Thomas More, who stood firm for the authority of the Church, knowing it would cost him his life. Or St. Oscar Romero, whose defense of the poor and call for justice provoked threats, division, and ultimately martyrdom. Holiness often comes with a cost.

           Division in this context is not about fostering hostility for its own sake. Rather, it is the inevitable result when the light of Christ shines into a world still marked by darkness. Some will receive that light with joy; others will turn away. The Gospel challenges us to choose between comfort and conversion, self-interest and sacrificial love, earthly peace and the peace that only God can give.

           This month, the world marks the 80th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – two events that brought the horrors of World War II to a close yet left deep wounds in the human family. These anniversaries remind us of the tension that Jesus describes. The human longing for peace is universal, but history shows how far we often are from the peace Christ offers. Nuclear weapons brought an end to fighting, but at a terrible cost to human life and dignity. The division between God’s vision for humanity and the choices we make in fear, pride, or revenge remains painfully real.

          In remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki, we are called not simply to lament the past but commit ourselves anew to the Gospel path of peace – a peace rooted in truth, justice, and conversion of heart. This peace is not naïve or fragile; it is forged in the fire of the Holy Spirit; the same fire Jesus speaks of in this Gospel. It is peace that refuses to compromise with evil, even when such refusal brings conflict or suffering.

           May we embrace our calling as disciples to be, like Christ, signs of contradiction – witnesses to a love that is stronger than death and a peace the world cannot give.

Editor- This article is got from the Vatican News with slight editing. By reading this article, you are supporting the Media Apostolate in bringing the Pope’s words into every home.

UN: At least 1,760 Palestinians killed while seeking aid in Gaza since May 2025

 From the Vatican News

By Nathan Morley

The United Nations says that at least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to collect emergency aid in Gaza since late May.

           Palestinians struggling to get food in Gaza. ANSA Photo

          At least 1,760 Palestinians have been killed while trying to access humanitarian aid in Gaza since late May, the United Nations said Friday, as Israeli forces continue to fire on civilians amid a deepening crisis.

          The UN human rights office said 994 people were killed near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation distribution sites and 766 along aid convoy routes. Most were reportedly shot by Israeli forces. The figure marks a sharp rise from the 1,373 deaths reported on Aug. 1.

           Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 23 people Friday, including 12 waiting for aid.

           The violence comes as Israel prepares a new offensive targeting Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, drawing international condemnation over alleged efforts to forcibly displace civilians.

           Residents have reported intensified airstrikes in recent days. Hamas has condemned what it called “aggressive” ground incursions.

           UN-backed experts warn of famine across Gaza, where a five-month blockade has choked off food and aid. Since the blockade began March 2, malnutrition and starvation-related deaths have surged.

           Gaza’s health ministry said Thursday that four more people died of starvation, bringing the toll to 239, including 106 children. It also reported 54 deaths from Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll since Oct. 7 to 61,776 — mostly women and children.

           Independent estimates suggest the true toll is higher, with more than 154,000 injured and thousands missing or presumed buried under rubble.