WASHINGTON – “We urge the United States and the broader international community to exert every effort to renew a multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace.
As tension and hostilities between Israel and Iran increase, he urged the U.S government to continue exerting its influence in favor of restraint and dialogue, saying:
“We urge the United States and the broader international community to exert every effort to renew a multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran. The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region.
“In the midst of this escalation, Pope Leo XIV has reminded us that ‘It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace by initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all.’ I join with Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, Archbishop of Tehran-Ispahan of the Latins, in his recent exhortation when he said, ‘We pray that peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail. May the Holy Spirit guide this process.’ In that same spirit, I call on Catholics and all men and women of goodwill in the United States and around the world to ardently pray for an end to hostilities in the Middle East. May the Prince of Peace move the hearts and illumine the minds of all for the attainment of peace in the region.”
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