Pope Leo XIV joins over 1 million children praying the Rosary

More than 1 million children and young people prayed the Rosary for world peace and unity during a week-long campaign from October 1 to 7, 2026. The initiative, promoted by the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), concluded on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

The campaign began on October 1 when hundreds of children joined Pope Leo XIV in the Vatican Gardens to pray the Rosary. During the week, participants joined from various locations, including juvenile prisons in Ukraine, streets in India, and communities in Brazil, Nigeria, the Philippines, El Salvador, Zimbabwe, and South Sudan. In Poland, children gathered at the Presidential Palace to pray with the president's chaplain, while Scouts in Lebanon recorded videos to encourage global prayer.

Father Gefthey Jean of the Notre-Dame de la Nativité parish in the Diocese of Anse-à-Veau et Miragoâne, Haiti, noted that the initiative helps children become peacemakers. Nathalie D’Aqui, a coordinator for ACN, stated that the campaign showed how children place their families and the needs of the world into God's hands through prayer.