Pope Leo XIV asked people to fast on Friday to pray for peace and justice in the Middle East and Ukraine, issuing a special appeal as he returned to the Vatican from summer vacation.

During his weekly general audience Wednesday, Leo urged all Catholic faithful to spend the day fasting and “imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer because of ongoing armed conflicts."

Wednesday marked Leo’s first day back at the Vatican after he ended a period of vacation at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, on Lake Alban south of Rome.