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JERUSALEM (LifeSiteNews) — In a joint statement, the leaders and Patriarchs of churches in Jerusalem have called for a swift ceasefire in the region and for immediate discussions to “promote a just and lasting peace” via a “legitimate two-state solution.”
Published August 26, the page-long statement from religious leaders in Jerusalem contained a renewed call for peace and diplomatic results, as conflict has intensified in recent weeks. Highlighting how the “present devastating war” is fast approaching its twelfth month, the Patriarchs and Heads stated they felt “compelled to once again express our grave concerns over its dire direction.”
“Millions of refugees remain displaced, their homes inaccessible, destroyed, or beyond repair,” read the statement, issued unsigned by the collected religious leaders.
Hundreds of innocents are weekly killed or severely wounded by indiscriminate attacks. Countless others continue to endure hunger, thirst, and infectious disease. Among these are those languishing in captivity on all sides, who additionally face the risk of ill-treatment from their captors. Still others, far from the battlefields, have suffered unchecked attacks against their villages, pastures, and farmlands.
The religious dignitaries also condemned how “ceasefire negotiations have dragged on interminably,” accusing leaders on both sides of the bloody conflict of being “seemingly more concerned with political considerations than bringing an end to the pursuit of death and destruction.”
Such a continued delay to enact efficacious ceasefire measures, they wrote, has brought the area to the “precipice of a full-blown regional war.”
Faced with the prospect of an intensified and even more widespread conflict, the leaders addressed their ceasefire calls to not only the “leaders of the warring parties” but also to “those of the international community.”
In doing so the religious leaders cited the June 2024 UNSC Resolution 2735, which outlined a three-stage ceasefire plan to be implemented by both Israeli and Hamas leaders.
The collected Patriarchs and religious leaders called for “a rapid agreement for a ceasefire resulting in the end of the war, the release of all captives, the displaced, the treatment of the sick and wounded, the relief of those who hunger and thirst, and the rebuilding of all public and private civilian structures that have been destroyed.”
Adding to this, they urged that both local and international leaders further collaborate to initiate “diplomatic discussion” immediately, which would address “longstanding grievances” between both sides of the conflict, and which would result in “concrete steps to promote a just and lasting peace in our region through the adoption of internationally legitimate two-state solution.”
Echoing the concerns often expressed by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the religious leaders noted their “special concern for those Christian communities under our pastoral charge,” highlighting the Catholic and Orthodox parish churches in Gaza.
“We pledge to them our continued prayers and support both now and at the conclusion of the war, when we will labour together to build and strengthen the Christian presence in Gaza, as well as throughout the Holy Land,” they stated.
Calls for ceasefire and efficacious diplomatic solutions have been regularly made since the fresh outbreak of renewed hostilities in the region on October 7 last year. Particularly vocal has been Cardinal Pizzaballa, who was created a cardinal in Rome just seven days before Hamas launched its attack.
READ: EXCLUSIVE: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem says ‘I have to do all that is possible to save my people’
Pizzaballa has notably condemned actions from both sides in the current conflict while championing the cause of beleaguered Christians in Palestine. The Italian prelate has regularly used his now international prominence to condemn the “nightmare” scenario unfolding in Palestine. Over the past ten months, Pizzaballa has not only toured war-torn Gaza but brought attention to actions carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces, who attacked a Catholic school in July 2024.
Always highlighting the importance of prayer in implementing any sustainable peace in the region, Pizzaballa recently urged Catholics to pray to Our Lady on August 15, commenting that prayer now appeared to be the only possible resource.
READ: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem composes prayer to Mary for peace in the Holy Land
“After having spent so many words and after having done what we can to help and be close to everyone, especially those who are most affected, all that remains is for us to pray,” Pizzaballa wrote.
Pope Francis regularly maintains phone communication with the Catholic parish in Gaza, and the parish priest from the church has traveled abroad to Catholic communities in order to highlight the plight of civilians suffering from the intensifying conflict.
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