Record Staff Report
and OSV News
From Pope Leo XIV to bishops around the world, religious leaders are appealing for peace after the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran and violence began spreading throughout the Middle East.
Asking the faithful to join him in prayer, Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre of Louisville added his voice to the appeals for peace in a statement released by the Archdiocese of Louisville on March 4.
“Through the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Peace, let us continue to pray for an end to the war in the Middle East and for peace.”
— Archbishop Shelton J. Fabre
“I am deeply troubled by the ongoing violence and rising tensions in the Middle East,” the statement says. “In solidarity with Pope Leo XIV and Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I invite the faithful of the Archdiocese of Louisville to join me in praying for peace in the Middle East, for our military, and for the victims of this conflict.”
He concludes with the prayer, “Through the intercession of Our Lady Queen of Peace, let us continue to pray for an end to the war in the Middle East and for peace.”
The attacks in Iran began Feb. 28 with strikes that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s leader. Iran subsequently targeted Israel and U.S. military assets in the region, including in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait.
A March 1 statement released by the USCCB said Archbishop Coakley calls on the U.S., Iran, and the international community “to return to dialogue and pursue every avenue toward a just and lasting peace.”
“The growing conflict risks spiraling into a wider regional war. As the Holy Father has warned, we are faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions,” said Archbishop Coakley. “My brother bishops and I unite our voice with our Holy Father and make the heartfelt appeal to all parties involved for diplomacy to regain its proper role.
“We ask for a halt to the spiral of violence, and a return to multilateral diplomatic engagement that seeks to uphold the ‘well-being of peoples, who yearn for peaceful existence founded on justice,’ ” he said. “All nations, international bodies, and partners committed to peace must exert every effort to prevent further escalation.
“At this critical moment, I invite Catholics and all people of goodwill to continue our ardent prayers for peace in the Middle East, for the safety of our troops and the innocent, that leaders may seek dialogue over destruction, and pursue the common good over the tragedy of war.”
Pope Leo said during his Sunday Angelus address on March 1 that he was following developments in the region “with profound concern” and called for an end to the conflict before it becomes “an irreparable abyss.”
“Stability and peace are not built through mutual threats, nor with weapons that sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” the pope said.
The pope expanded on his appeal for peace during his visit to the Roman parish of the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the afternoon.
Speaking off-the-cuff to children, the pope said he was “deeply concerned about what’s happening in the world: especially yesterday, today, and for who knows how many more days, in the Middle East.”
“War, again!” he exclaimed. “We too must be heralds of the message of peace, the peace of Jesus, the peace that God wants for everyone. So we must pray a lot for peace and seek ways to live in unity and always reject the temptation to harm others. Violence is never the right choice. And we must always choose good.”
