VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Pope Leo XIV has called on Catholics to pray the Rosary daily in October for peace in the world.

The Pope made the announcement today at his weekly Wednesday general audience:

Dear brothers and sisters, the month of October is now approaching, and in the Church it is dedicated in a special way to the Holy Rosary. Therefore, I invite everyone, every day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace: personally, in the family, in the community.

I also invite those who serve in the Vatican to say this prayer in Saint Peter’s Basilica every day, at 19:00.

In particular, the evening of Saturday 11 October, at 18.00, we will pray it together here in Saint Peter’s Square, during the vigil for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, also commemorating the anniversary of the opening of Vatican Council II.

On the evening of October 11, the Rosary of Peace will take place in the context of the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality, dedicated to fostering devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The day also coincides with the 63rd anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.

The original image of Our Lady of Fatima will be presented in St. Peter’s Square on October 11 and 12 for the Rosary prayer and the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality.

The tradition of the month of October being dedicated to Our Lady began in 1571, when Pope Pius V established the Feast of Our Lady of Victories to celebrate the crucial triumph of the Catholic Holy League naval forces against the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571.

Pope Gregory XIII renamed it to the Feast of the Holy Rosary in 1573 and, over time, the whole of October became associated with the Rosary. On October 13, 1917, the Blessed Mother made her final appearance during the Marian apparitions in Fatima, culminating in the Miracle of the Sun, which was witnessed by thousands of spectators.