Pope Leo will join hundreds of youngsters in Rome as one million children around the world unite to pray the Rosary for peace.
Between 700 and 1,000 children from schools and parishes across Rome are expected to gather at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens on Thursday (October 1) for the launch of the worldwide “One Million Children Praying the Rosary for Peace in the World” campaign.
The gathering will begin at 5pm local time, with Pope Leo XIV joining the youngsters later to pray the Rosary.
The event will mark the beginning of a worldwide week of prayer organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), bringing together children, families, schools, parishes and Christian communities across the globe.
Together with the Holy Father, the children in Rome will pray in spiritual union with youngsters around the world, united in an appeal for peace and unity.
While children gather in the Vatican, similar initiatives are being prepared across the UK and numerous other countries, from indigenous communities in the Bolivian Amazon to parishes in Sudan, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Sierra Leone.
Children in countries affected by war, persecution, poverty and instability will be among those joining the worldwide prayer initiative.
The 2026 campaign is inspired by the message of Fatima: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
This year, for the first time, the campaign will take place over an entire week, from October 1 to 7.
The extended campaign will allow dioceses, parishes, schools, communities and families on different continents to choose the day best suited to their circumstances, while remaining united in the same intention of prayer for peace and unity.
In another first for the initiative, World Rosary Day will join the campaign, further widening the international call to prayer.
The week will culminate on October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.
The “One Million Children Praying the Rosary” initiative began in Venezuela in 2005 and has since grown into a worldwide prayer movement involving children, families, parishes, schools and Church groups on every continent.
The campaign draws inspiration from words attributed to St Padre Pio: “When one million children pray the Rosary, the world will change.”
ACN provides prayer materials in several languages and invites participants to register their involvement, helping to create a global map showing the network of children joining together in prayer in countries around the world.
Nathalie Raffray
