Vatican city  (AsiaNews) – By praying the Rosary and supporting the work of priest, religious and lay people on “the missionary frontiers” we can contribute to “peace in families, nations and the entire world”.  This was underlined by Benedict XVI in his reflections before the Angelus with pilgrims in St Peter’s square.

The pope was inspired by the fact that today October 7th the Church celebrates Our Lady of the Rosary.  At the same time, he also recalled that the month of October is dedicated to the missions, culminating in the World Day for Missionaries, celebrated on October 21st next.

 “The traditional image of Our Lady of the Rosary – said the pontiff – is of Mary who holds the infant in one hand in on the other poses the crown on St Domenic.  This significant iconography shows that the Rosary is a means gifted by the Virgin to contemplate Jesus and by mediating on his life, to love him and follow him more faithfully”.

The feast of the Rosary was inaugurated by Pius V in 1575 to celebrate the victory of Lepanto over the Turkish fleets which were threatening Europe.  Since then the Rosary has become perhaps the most widespread prayer in the world, in devotion of Our Lady.  The Rosary continued the pope “is the gift which the Virgin left even in her various apparitions. I think particularly of those in Fatima 90 years ago.  To those three small shepherd children Lucia, Giacinta and Francesco, presenting her as “Our Lady of the Rosary” she emphasised the importance of the prayer, to obtain the end of the war.  We too want to take on board the maternal request of the Virgin to bring peace to families, nations and the entire world”.

The commitment to peace also characterises missionary work because “true peace –said the pope –is spread there where men and institutions open themselves to the Gospel”. “Announcing the Gospel – he continues – remains the most important aspect of the Churches work, offering Christ’s salvation to the people pf today oppressed and humiliated in so many different ways, in order to orientate in a Christian sense, cultural, social and ethical transformations which are ongoing in the world”.

 “The month of October – explained Benedict XVI – helps us to remember this fundamental truth through special animations which aims to keep the missionary aspect alive in every community in order to support the work of all of those – priests religious and lay – who work on the Churches missionary frontiers”.

Marking the World Day for the Missions, the pope has already issued his message entitled “All churches for all of the world”, in which he underlines that is the duty of each and every Christian to spread the Gospel as well as every Church, from the most ancient to the newly founded.  This dedication must continue even if in many of the Churches in west lack priests and vocations and many of the younger Churches are struggling with economic problems and growing pains. The pope said “the missionary flame must be kept alive in every community….and support given to all of those priests’ religious and lay who work on the Churches missionary frontiers”.

This year’s message celebrated the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Fidei Donum by Pius XII, in which the pope exhorted priests and religious to cooperate with the other Churches in Africa and Latin America, which were lacking priests.

The pope also remembered one of the great Italian missionary founders blessed Daniele Comboni, who was a missionary in Sudan and whose feast day is celebrated October 10th.

 “Let us entrust our prayers – concluded Benedict XVI – to pioneer of the Gospel and to all of those missionary Saints and blessed, particularly to the maternal protection of the Queen of the Rosaries, let us entrust all missionaries.  May Mary help us to remember that every Christian is called to be an announcer of the Gospel in words and in actions”.