In a viral video published by EWTN Media on Instagram, several influencers are calling for a “Worldwide Fast" in response to the surge of violence worldwide.
The influencers cited Pope John Paul II’s teaching on fasting amid this surge.
Featuring more than 30 popular Catholic influencers, including Matt Fradd and Lila Rose, the campaign is inviting Christians everywhere to join in a fast on October 22, considering that, in the face of "the tragic bloodshed this year", as the post reads, we are called to turn "to prayer AND fasting” like the heroes in the Bible.
In the star-studded lineup is Catholic influencer Franco Aurelio, who had described 2025 as a deeply abnormal year marked by spiritual unrest in a video posted on September 10, the day of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
Aurelio then urged followers to fast on September 12, framing it as a time for large-scale reparation and intercession.
Ryan Penney, Digital Content Manager for EWTN Studios, was moved by the initiative and thought the moment of cultural decay should call Christians "to do more.” Penney reached out to Aurelio and several other Catholic content creators to coordinate a unified message.
With the assistance of Catholic creator Keith Downey, the group organized the collaboration post on Instagram.
“Our goal was to mobilize the large followings of these influencers to reach as many souls as possible, because the more Christians band together, the more powerful their prayer and fasting become,” Penney explained.
Pope John Paul II—whose writings often emphasized the spiritual power of fasting and redemptive suffering— was a source of inspiration for the call to fasting. The pontiff had emphasized the practice as a key weapon to combat the culture of death in his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
Pope Saint John Paul II wrote,
“Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt. 4:1-11). As he taught his disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (cf. Mk. 9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit.”
In light of this connection, the global fast will happen on October 22, 2025, the feast day of Pope John Paul II, honoring the saint’s legacy of defending life and urging spiritual renewal.
The collective effort, organizers said, was intended not as a political gesture but as a spiritual response—one rooted in the belief that prayer and fasting can heal hearts and nations.