Prayers for peace to end ‘spiral of violence’ from Operation Epic Fury

‘Mutual threats never constitute a solution to conflicts. They only amplify them: they deepen resentment and hatred, destabilise regions and erode the foundations of global peace and security.’

Church leaders across the Middle East prayed for a swift end to the conflict between the US and Israel and Iran that began with strikes on Tehran on Saturday.

The first attacks in what the US called Operation Epic Fury killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as dozens of senior Iranian officials.

The assaults triggered retaliatory strikes by Iran on countries in the Middle East.  It fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf, as well as the tourism and business hub of Dubai.

Speaking over the weekend, Archbishop Eugene Nugent, apostolic nuncio to Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, said that “a long war benefits no one, especially in a region already tired by many conflicts”.

Bishop Aldo Berardi, apostolic vicar of Northern Arabia who leads the Church in Saudi Arabi, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain – where he is based – expressed gratitude to Pope Leo for his appeal for peace on Sunday, as churches across the Arabian Peninsula remain closed due to security concerns. “We must pray not to be swept up in this spiral,” he said.

The apostolic vicar of Southern Arabia – covering the United Arab Emirate, Oman and Yemen – Bishop Paolo Martinelli OFMCap issued a statement asking Catholics “to remain united in prayer for peace”, and in particular “to pray the rosary every day for peace and reconciliation”.

Archbishop Hosam Naoum, the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem and Primate of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, wrote last Saturday that “suddenly, our people from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf find themselves once again huddled in shelters”.

Those suffering in the strikes reside within “our ecclesiastical boundaries”, he said. Members in the Diocese of Iran “are currently enduring the terror of aerial bombardment”, and members in the Diocese of Cyprus & the Gulf “are witnessing the arrival of war at their doorsteps”,

In the Diocese of Jerusalem – which spans Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria – members “face an unprecedented threat of military escalation”, Archbishop Naoum said.

He called for prayerful support from the global Church, urging Christians to “bridge builders” because “even as diplomatic windows seem to slam shut, the Church must keep the doors of reconciliation open”.

The archbishop continued: “We refuse to see our neighbours as enemies, whether they be in Tehran, Tel Aviv or the military bases of the Gulf.”

The president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) also called on the international community to return to dialogue and seek peace in the wake of Saturday’s attack.

Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City echoed Pope Leo’s appeal to stop the violence before it becomes “an unbridgeable chasm”, emphasising the need for restraint and for all parties to take steps to end the conflict, work for peace and protect innocent lives.

“The growing conflict risks spiralling into a wider regional war,” Coakley said. “As the Holy Father has warned, we are faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions. 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.”

Coakley said the USCCB was asking 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”.

“All nations, international bodies, and partners committed to peace must exert every effort to prevent further escalation,” Coakley said.

Pax Christi International condemned the military strikes, urging the international community to act to immediately de-escalate hostilities and uphold international law.

It invited faith leaders and all people of conscience “to join us in a call for a disarming peace, echoing the appeal of Pope Leo XIV for a peace that disarms hearts, rhetoric and weapons alike”.

The co-presidents of Justice and Peace Europe issued a statement on Monday expressing “profound concern over the ongoing spiral of violence”.

“No country, however powerful, should place itself above the core principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations,” said Archbishop Antoine Hérouard of Dijon and Maria Hammershoy.

“Mutual threats and the use of weapons can never constitute a lasting solution to conflicts. On the contrary, they only amplify them: they deepen resentment and hatred, destabilise entire regions and erode the very foundations of global peace and security.”

They continued: “In the face of a tragedy of immense proportions, the present escalation reflects a confrontational logic that increasingly dominates global politics, rather than adherence to the principles of legitimate defence, which require that all possible peaceful means be exhausted before recourse to force as a last resort.”

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