From OSV News:
Catholic clergy are calling for prayer and peace following U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran Feb. 28 that killed supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as senior leaders and civilians.
“We pray that there be a return to dialogue, diplomacy, justice, and peace,” said Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and the Pontifical Mission for Palestine, in a statement to OSV News.
Msgr. Vaccari said he had spoken to each of CNEWA-Pontifical Mission for Palestine’s regional directors in Jerusalem, Beirut and Amman, Jordan.
“And I assured them, their families, and the families of all our staff, of our prayers at this very difficult hour,” he said, adding that the “highest immediate priority is the safety of our staff and their families.”
He described the regional teams’ works as “great and heroic,” and “extraordinary testaments” to the organization’s mission.
“Our teams throughout the region work long hours on behalf of the churches and peoples whom we are committed to serve,” said Msgr. Vaccari. “Their lives and schedules are the living translation of the Gospel question, ‘Who is my neighbor?’, as they are there for everyone!”
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a March 1 statement echoing Pope Leo XIV’s call at the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square that same day for deescalation and diplomacy.
Noting Pope Leo’s plea for peace and warning of an “irreparable abyss” if the violence continues to spiral, Archbishop Coakley said, “We are faced with the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions.”
He said, “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.”
