On Wednesday, Pope Francis urged Catholics and non-Catholics alike to participate in his planned day of fasting and prayer for peace Saturday, urging more than 50,000 people gathered for his weekly general audience: ‘‘Let the cry for peace rise up across the Earth!’’

The Vatican has invited ambassadors accredited to the Holy See to attend a briefing Thursday on the Pope’s agenda for the four-hour vigil Saturday night, and bishops’ conferences from around the world have announced plans to host local versions of the vigil as well.

In recent speeches, tweets and remarks, Francis has called for a negotiated settlement in Syria but has also condemned the use of chemical weapons.

Worldwide opposition is growing to US planned attack on Syria which the Barack Obama administration rushed for based on an alleged chemical attack that its dimensions remain doubtful for the international community.

The call for military action against Syria intensified after foreign-backed opposition forces accused the Syrian government of launching a chemical attack on militant strongholds in the suburbs of Damascus on August 21.

Damascus has vehemently denied the accusations, saying the chemical attack was carried out by the militants themselves as a false flag operation.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and a total of 7.8 million of others displaced due to the violence in Syria.

NTJ/HH