Here is the prayer for Day 3 for a Week of Prayer for Syria. The prayer campaign is being organized by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Previous days: Day 1, Day 2.

(Phrases in quotes in the prayers have been sent to Aid to the Church in Need from people in Syria. Some of the authors are named, others must remain anonymous.)

Prayer and Intercession for Peace in Syria

God of Compassion,
Hear the cries of the people of Syria
Comfort those who suffer violence
Console those who mourn the dead
Give strength to Syria’s neighbouring countries to welcome the refugees
Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms
And protect those who are committed to peace.

God of hope,
Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with their enemies
Inflame the Universal Church with compassion for the people of Syria
And give us hope for a future built on justice for all
We ask this through Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace and Light of the world.

Amen

Third day: Comfort those who mourn their loved ones

The Syrian crisis, which began March 15, 2011, has already taken many lives, too many, and the current political situation continues compounding and worsening the situation, unprecedented in this nation. The United Nations reports more than 100,000 dead. Before such a reality, words fall short…
Cities are destroyed and “development plans are in the cemeteries.” They tell us from Syria: “A 6-year-old girl was playing hide-and-seek with her brother. A sniper shot the little boy. … In the cemetery, the girl cried out before the tomb of her brother: Come out from your hiding place! I don’t want to play anymore!”

We pray for the victims of this war. For all of them, and each one of them. They are not numbers, but names, members of a family. They are mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. They are our brothers and sisters, children of God who created them in His image and likeness. We pray that the right to life of every person be respected and defended. Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for Syria, pray for us.