Pope asks Mary, Help of Christians, to pray for Church in China, Christians of the Middle East
May 25, 2026
Addressing pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square on Pentecost Sunday, Pope Leo XIV recalled the Day of Prayer for the Church in China and also prayed for the Christians of the Middle East.
“Today marks the Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which occurs on the feast day of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Help of Christians,” Pope Leo said at the conclusion of his Regina Caeli address. “She is venerated with great devotion at the Sheshan Shrine in Shanghai.”
“Let us join our prayers with those of Chinese Catholics as a sign of our closeness to them and their communion with the universal Church and with the Successor of Peter,” the Pope continued. “May the intercession of the Queen of Heaven obtain for the community of believers in China the grace of unity and grant them the strength to bear witness to the Gospel in their daily struggles, so that they may be seeds of hope and peace.”
In his 2007 letter to the Church in China, Pope Benedict XVI referred to May 24 as “an occasion for the Catholics of the whole world to be united in prayer with the Church which is in China. This day is dedicated to the liturgical memorial of Our Lady, Help of Christians, who is venerated with great devotion at the Marian Shrine of Sheshan in Shanghai” (n. 19).
After praying for victims of a mine accident in northern China, Pope Leo prayed for the Christians of the Middle East.
“To Mary Most Holy, Help of Christians, we also entrust the Christian communities of the Holy Land, Lebanon and the entire Middle East, who are suffering due to the ongoing conflicts,” he said.
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