Following the Angelus on the feast of the Assumption, Pope Leo reflects on Mary’s role in providing hope to people throughout the centuries and urges everyone to avoid losing hope in the midst of violence.
By Kielce Gussie
Following the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Pope Leo marked the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary by entrusting his prayer for peace to her intercession. He pointed out that Mary “suffers for the evils that afflict her children, especially the little ones and the weak.” Throughout the centuries, the Pope explained, she has revealed her closeness to those in need through messages and apparitions.
Pius XII among the crowd after the bombing of Rome in 1943.
Fresh off the tragedy of the bloodiest war the world had ever seen—World War II—Pope Pius XII proclaimed the dogma of the Assumption in 1950.
He wrote: “There is reason to hope that all who reflect on Mary’s glorious example will be ever more convinced of the value of human life.” Pope Pius continued by expressing his hope that the world would never again see the “butchery of human life through war”.
Pope Leo stressed how the words of his predecessor remain relevant today. “We sadly feel powerless in the face of the growing spread of violence in the world – a violence increasingly deaf and unfeeling toward any impulse of humanity.”
But, the Pope emphasized, we must not lose hope. He reiterated that God is greater than human sin and any violence we face. “We must not resign ourselves to the dominance of conflict and weapons” because with Mary, we know God continues to help us. Pope Leo argued that it is only through God’s mercy that “we can rediscover the path of peace.”