[unofficial translation]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I learned with concern the news coming from the Christian communities in Mosul (Iraq) and in other parts of the Middle East, where they have lived with their fellow citizens from the very beginning of Christianity, offering  a significant contribution to the good of society. Today they are persecuted; our brethren are being persecuted, they are driven out, they must leave their homes without being able to bring anything with them. In these families and these people want to express my closeness and my constant prayer. Dear brothers and sisters persecuted so much, I know how much you suffer, I know that you are stripped of everything. I am with you in faith in the One who has conquered evil! And to you, here in the square and those who follow us through television, I extend the invitation to pray for these Christian communities. I also urge you to persevere in prayer for situations of tension and conflict that persist in different parts of the world especially in the Middle East and Ukraine. The God of peace will inspire in all a genuine desire for dialogue and reconciliation. Violence will not be bested with violence. Violence is defeated with peace! Let us pray in silence, asking for peace; ....

Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us!