Deep concern for the escalation of violence in the Middle East and an invitation to decisively relaunch the path of diplomacy and prayer.
This is the meaning of the appeal launched by Comission of the Episcopal Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), as tensions grow in the region and the fear of an expansion of the conflict increases.
The president of Comece, Monsignor Mariano Crociataexpressed “deep concern about the further weakening of the rules-based international order” and the continued “disregard for international law.” The bishop’s thoughts go in particular to those who are experiencing the “recent escalation of violence in Iran and throughout the Middle East”.
Crociata also defines it as “deeply worrying” that violence is taking the place of diplomacy and that “the logic of retaliation and revenge” can fuel “a spiral of violence, jeopardizing regional and global stability and potentially leading to a tragedy of immense proportions.”
Also recalling the appeal of Pope Leo XIV to put an end to the spiral of violence, iThe president of Comece invites the European Union to remain united and respond to its “vocation as a peace project”. The EU, he underlines, is called to work to encourage de-escalation between all the parties involved, relaunching diplomatic efforts and consistently supporting international law, including in the field of nuclear non-proliferation. At the same time, commitment to ensuring the safety of European citizens is urged. The invitation is also spiritual: pray “for weapons to be silenced throughout the Middle East” and so that the Iranian people and those of the entire region can undertake “a path towards a peaceful future marked by respect for human dignity and fundamental human rights”.
A call to prayer also comes from the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) of female religious congregations around the world. Faced with the escalation of violence and war affecting various places in the world, the organization invites people to mobilize “for an unarmed and disarming peace”, through fasting, concrete commitment and an international moment of prayer.
The initiative is scheduled for Friday 6 March at 3.30 pm, Rome time, and will be broadcast live, open to everyone’s participation and can be followed on the YouTube channel at this link
«Faced with the escalation of violence and war that is affecting various places in the world», explains the executive secretary of the UISG Sister Roxanne Schares, “we feel the duty to invite prayer, fasting and action for an unarmed and disarming peace”.
The nun recalls the role of consecrated women in the most fragile contexts on the planet: «As consecrated religious women, present in the most fragile contexts of society and close to those who suffer, we cannot remain silent in the face of a spiral of destruction that undermines human dignity and puts the future of new generations at risk.”
