Responding to the call of Pope Leo XIV, Washington Cardinal Robert W. McElroy will celebrate a Mass for Peace on Saturday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle in Washington.
The cardinal will celebrate the Mass following the Holy Father’s pleas that in “these hours of great tension for the Middle East and the entire world,” such Masses for Peace be offered April 11 around the world.
Cardinal McElroy has also invited pastors throughout the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington to celebrate a Mass for Peace on Saturday.
At his April 8 general audience at the Vatican – just hours after a two-week ceasefire agreement was reached between Iran and the United States – Pope Leo said he would like to “reiterate my invitation to everyone to join me in the Prayer Vigil for Peace.”
“I welcome with satisfaction, and as a sign of deep hope, the announcement of an immediate two-week ceasefire,” the pope told the faithful. “I urge you to accompany this time of delicate diplomatic work with prayer, in the hope that a willingness to engage in dialogue may become the means to resolve other situations of conflict in the world.”
The Mass to be celebrated by Cardinal McElroy on Saturday, April 11, at 5:30 p.m. is open to the public. The Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle is located at 1725 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., in Washington, D.C.
