Israel’s Catholic ordinaries on Friday expressed the “highest concern” about the situation in Ukraine, calling on the violence to stop.
“United with Pope Francis who said that there is no justification for ‘the violent aggression against Ukraine’ which is ‘a senseless massacre (…) a repetition of slaughter and atrocities,’ we repeat the Christian doctrine stating that war should never be a solution to any problems,” the ordinaries said in a statement. “The violence and the blood shed are unacceptable and should be stopped.”
The ordinaries said they are praying for peace and called on all who can to take the necessary steps to bring peace.
“We invoke the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace, and entrust Her to our brothers and sisters who suffer because of the war,” they said.
The statement was signed by Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and Pietro Felet, secretary-general of the patriarchate.
War has been raging in Ukraine since Russia’s February 24 invasion of the country.
Earlier this week, dozens of Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders gathered in Jerusalem’s Moskva Square near the Russian compound to call for peace in Ukraine. At the event, the leaders presented a letter signed by more than 150 faith leaders worldwide to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, calling on him to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and convince him to de-escalate the conflict.