LITANY FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE

Christ’s rights were flouted so that justice and peace would reign forever for all. “It pleased God … to reconcile all things through Christ and for him, both on earth and in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1: 19).

• So that your Will may come and reign, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• In order for human beings to come to the obedience of faith, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that human wills may commune with your holy Will, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that human beings may live according to your holy Will which desires the good and the salvation of all, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that your reign of justice and peace may come, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• That your justice and your peace reign in hearts and nations, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that injustices give way to true justice, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that human freedoms are respected, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that real equality and equity reign among human beings, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that the dignity of human beings, created in your image and likeness, may be respected, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that charity and sharing reign among human beings, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• May the castles and paradises of the rich no longer be built on misery and the blood of the poor, we pray to you… Lord, hear us.
• So that the strong no longer crushes the weak, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that the poor are no longer sold for a pair of sandals, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that the judges of the nations apply the laws with the fear of the Lord, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• May the innocent be condemned no longer and the guilty set free, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• May our prisons become places of life and not of torture and death, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• So that wars and violence around the world will cease, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• In order for human beings to forgive each other, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• May human beings be reconciled with you and among themselves in Christ, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
• Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
• Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, forgive us, Lord.
• Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, give us your justice and your peace.

Let us pray: Lord, you have made Christ our Justice and our Peace. Through the merits of his rights flouted on the Cross, grant us to live as artisans and apostles of justice and peace, so that your kingdom may come in the world and your will be done. We ask this through Him, Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

Give Us Peace Today and Forever (PDF)

A recent special report highlighted the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, a war that has lasted nearly nine years and remains largely ignored by the international community. Rooted in historical divisions between Anglophone and Francophone regions, the crisis escalated in 2016 after the violent suppression of peaceful protests calling for linguistic and legal rights.

Testimonies from Dominican sisters and lay members revealed the human cost of the conflict: widespread displacement, closed schools, destroyed villages, and families torn apart. In Bamenda, Dominican nuns have transformed their monastery into a refuge for women and children fleeing violence, providing shelter, food, education, and hope amid extreme hardship.

The report called on the Dominican family and the wider Church to respond through prayer, advocacy, and concrete solidarity, affirming that lasting peace can only emerge from truth, justice, and faithful accompaniment of those who suffer.

Cameroon Overview (PDF)

The Catholic Church in Cameroon (PDF)

Life behind the Walls: A monastic community’s response to the Anglophone Crisis