Catholic bishops in US urge global action for peace in Middle East

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Catholic bishops in the US have urged the international community to take action toward securing peace in the Middle East, the Vatican News Agency reported Tuesday.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops called on the US and global actors “to exert every effort to renew multilateral diplomatic engagement for the attainment of a durable peace between Israel and Iran,” according to the agency.

“The further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East, as well as this escalation of violence, imperils the fragile stability remaining in the region,” the bishops said.

“It is the duty of all countries to support the cause of peace by initiating paths of reconciliation and promoting solutions that guarantee security and dignity for all,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, echoing the words of Pope Leo XIV.

Regional tensions have escalated since Friday, when Israel launched coordinated airstrikes on multiple sites across Iran, including military and nuclear facilities, prompting Tehran to launch retaliatory strikes.

Israeli authorities said that at least 24 people have been killed and hundreds injured in Iranian missile attacks since Friday.

Iranian officials report that at least 224 people have been killed and over 1,000 wounded in the Israeli assault.