Over 200 Christian Leaders Sign Letter Requesting Gaza to Cease Fire
- Milton Quintanilla Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
- Published Jul 25, 2024
Over 200 Christian leaders from various traditions have signed a letter calling for a permanent cease-fire in the war between Israel-Hamas and the release of hostages taken by Hamas. “We speak out as Christian leaders with a deep concern for the common good for all affected by war and conflict without exception,” reads the letter, which was organized by Churches for Middle East Peace, a coalition of Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox churches based in Washington.
“We speak with urgency. We speak in a spirit of peace. We speak because we are deeply inspired by the courageous and selfless commitment of our Palestinian Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land, who suffer alongside their Muslim and Jewish neighbors and remain resolutely determined to help bring about a just and dignified future for all inhabitants of these lands.”
The letter also calls for “the release of Palestinian prisoners held without due process.”
“Without decisive action now, the consequences of this drift to deeper, broader, and more entrenched conflict will be more destruction and loss of innocent lives,” the authors said. “It is time for the international community, as well as Israeli, Palestinian, and regional decision-makers, to act. Our common humanity demands it.”
According to NCR Online, the letter’s release came before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, where he visited Congress on Wednesday and met with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Leaders from multiple religious traditions signed the letter, including Roman Catholic Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini, Bishop of Huehuetenango in Guatemala, and Bishops Steven Biegler of the Diocese of Cheyenne in Wyoming, Stephen Lowe of the Diocese of Auckland in New Zealand, Christian Carlassare of the Diocese of Rumbek in South Sudan, and Coffi Roger Anoumou of the Diocese of Lokossa in Benin.
The signees also included the presidents of the Maryknoll Sisters and the Sisters of St. Joseph Philadelphia, both orders of nuns.
Moreover, the stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the general secretary of the Reformed Church in America, a conference minister in the United Church of Christ, and the clerk of Britain’s Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) signed it.
The heads of the National Council of Churches, Pax Christi Korea, the Asian American Christian Collaborative, and The Witness, a Black Christian Collective, also signed the letter.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Joel Carillet
