The Mexican priest noted that this tradition originated 69 years ago, inspired by the apparitions of Our Lady of Fátima in Portugal in 1917, when the power of the holy rosary to bring about peace was revealed.

“The rosary is a devotion that unites us and allows us to look with the eyes and heart of our beloved and most holy Virgin Mary,” he explained.

When praying and meditating, the priest said, “God acts [in us] with a liberating force, but he charges us to be responsible, that is, to be better people. He allows us, therefore, to be a fertilizer, a force, germ, and seed of the kingdom of God.”

During the living rosary event at the León stadium, which has a capacity for 31,297 people, Archbishop Alfonso Cortés called on the faithful to fight against violence and expressed his solidarity with the families who have suffered its scourge.

“Peace is the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Church was born, the greeting to the apostles was ‘Peace be with you.’ And it comes from hope, it cannot happen without hope. Peace is the gift of God and we have to build it,” the prelate said.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.