VATICAN CITY, MAY 21, 2003 (Zenit.org).- The Vatican has just published a book on the recitation of the Rosary for peace, a response to John Paul II’s petition for this year.
«The Rosary of Peace,» written by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, comments on the 20 mysteries of the Marian prayer with their relevant evangelical passages and extracts from papal messages for World Days of Peace.
The book, which for the time being is published only in Italian (Edizioni Paoline), seeks «to accompany the reflection on the great need for change and conversion on which peace in the world depends,» Archbishop Renato Martino says in the introduction.
Archbishop Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, says that «the Rosary is a prayer that transforms, as it removes the germ of evil from the one who recites it.»
John Paul II has entrusted the important cause of peace to the Rosary because, as he said on September 29, 2002 when praying the Angelus: «of little use are political attempts, which are always necessary, if spirits remain exacerbated and we are not capable of returning to dialogue with a fresh look and with hope.»
The volume ends with a litany and a «Prayer to Mary, Queen of Peace,» composed for this purpose by Archbishop Martino.
