Prayer composed by Italian Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples
Prayed by Pope Francis
(as reported by CNS Rom correspondent, Junno Arocho Esteves, only very slightly adapted)​

Forgive us for war, Lord.

Lord Jesus, son of God,
have mercy on us sinners.

Lord Jesus, born under the bombs of Kyiv,
have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus, dead in the arms of a mother in Kharkiv,
have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus, present in the 20 year olds sent to the frontline,
have mercy on us.

Lord Jesus, who continues to see hands armed with weapons under the shadow of the cross,
forgive us Lord.

Forgive us that, if not content with the nails with which we pierced your hand we continue to drink from the blood
of the dead torn apart by weapons.

Forgive us if these hands that you had created to protect,
have been turned into instruments of death.

Forgive us Lord,
if we continue to kill our brother.

Forgive us Lord,
if we continue, like Cain,
​to remove the stones from our camp to kill Abel.
Forgive us Lord,
if we continue to justify cruelty
with our efforts,
if with our pain, we legitimize
the cruelty of our actions.

Forgive us the war, Lord.

Lord Jesus Christ, son of God,
we implore you to stop the hand of Cain;
enlighten our conscience;
let not our will be done.

Do not abandon us to our own doing.

​Stop us, Lord.

Stop us, and when you have stopped
the hand of Cain,
take care of him also;
he is our brother.

Oh Lord, stop the violence.
Stop us, Lord.

Amen​