"Let us try to see that there may be more prayers and fewer battles."

Why pray for the world leaders?

Recently, while searching the net, I found an Angelus preached by Pope John Paul I. We know very little of him, his one-month term was so short. Certain messages contained in these Angelus are surprisingly contemporary and I find that they stimulate my commitment to Impact J.

Francis declared on September 14th, 2014:

 “Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction.”

Yet, John Paul I spoke the following words in his Angelus on September 3, 1978:

A Spanish writer has written: "the world is going wrong because there are more battles than prayers." Let us try to see that there may be more prayers and fewer battles.

This excerpt motivates me to pray to Joseph for the world leaders, a world shaken in so many ways.

Celebrations after the Camp David Accords, 1978. M. Begin, J.Carter, A. el-Sadat

I was also reminded that is was during John Paul I mandate that the Camp David Accords were signed by the President Anwar El Sadat (Egypt), President Jimmy Carter (USA) and Prime Minister Menahem Begin (Israel). We know that an Islamite commando, from which Al Qaïda comes from, subsequently killed Sadat and that Begin was assassinated by a Jewish extremist.

The conflicts raging in that era are the same today. In his Angelus on September 10th , 1978, John Paul I tells us about something that few if not anyone has heard about concerning the Camp David Accords that would be signed the following 17th of September:

I was very favourably impressed by the fact that the three Presidents wished to express their hope in the Lord publicly in prayer. President Sadat's brothers in religion are accustomed to say as follows: "there is pitch darkness, a black stone and on the stone a little ant; but God sees it, and does not forget it". President Carter, who is a fervent Christian, reads in the Gospel; "Knock, and it will be opened to you; ask, and it will be given you. Even the hairs of your head are all numbered." And Premier Begin recalls that the Jewish people once passed difficult moments and addressed the Lord complaining and saying: "You have forsaken us, you have forgotten us!" "No!"—He replied through Isaiah the Prophet—"can a mother forget her own child? But even if it should happen, God will never forget his people".

This testimony of faith given by leaders of the world sheds a new light on what may happen in the political sphere that is generally hidden by the media, obliterated by the ideologies fighting for power.

This event reminded me of a more recent one. During his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2014, Francis surprised the world by sending this invitation:

Encounter of prayer, Vatican, June 8, 2014.

“In this, the birthplace of the Prince of Peace, I wish to invite you, President Mahmoud Abbas, together with President Shimon Peres, to join me in heartfelt prayer to God for the gift of peace”, said the Pope following the Regina Coeli. “I offer my home in the Vatican as a place for this encounter of prayer”.

Both presidents, of Israel and of the Palestinian authority, accepted Francis’ invitation. Here are some remarks pronounced by these leaders during this significant and special encounter.

Shimon Peres :

 “I have come from the Holy City of Jerusalem, the beating heart of the Jewish people. In Hebrew, our ancient language, the word Jerusalem and the word for peace share the same root. And indeed peace is the vision of Jerusalem. As it is said in the Book of Psalms: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels. For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, 'Peace be within you'. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity”.

Mahmoud Abbas :

 “Today, we reiterate after Jesus Christ addressing Jerusalem: 'If only you had known the path of peace this day'. Also let us remember the words of Saint John Paul II when he said: 'If peace is achieved in Jerusalem, peace will be witnessed in the whole world." Simultaneously, in our prayer today, we repeatedly call after those who advocate peace: 'Blessed are the peace makers', and 'Call for the peace of Jerusalem', as came in the Holy Scriptures”.

Francis :

Encounter of prayer, Vatican, June 8, 2014

History teaches that our own powers do not suffice. More than once we have been on the verge of peace, but the evil one, employing a variety of means, has succeeded in blocking it. That is why we are here, because we know and we believe that we need the help of God. We do not renounce our responsibilities, but we do call upon God in an act of supreme responsibility before our consciences and before our people.

Who would have thought that these words, which we would expect to hear coming from Peter’s successor, could have been pronounced by top political men of countries who oppose each other for decades? …

This discovery raises my hope. And that is not all!

I was surprised to see that this meeting took place on June 8, 2014, Pentecost Sunday, the very same day that the Impact J movement was launched!

Isn’t this a testimony to the incomparable place that prayer can have on the journey of those called to govern the world, when they recognize that Sovereignty belongs to God?

Francine Dupras