WASHINGTON – “We reiterate our solidarity with the bishops and faithful of Africa, as they offer the world a profound witness of respect for human life and dignity amidst ongoing conflicts,” said Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace. 

Bishop Zaidan’s full statement follows:

“We reiterate our solidarity with the bishops and faithful of Africa, as they offer the world a profound witness of respect for human life and dignity amidst ongoing conflicts. 

“In 2025, millions of our brothers and sisters on the African continent live displaced from their homes and communities, forced to flee due to conflict, religious and ethnic persecution, economic hardship and environmental crises. Cycles of deadly violence and resulting humanitarian crises continue to claim thousands of innocent lives in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and throughout the Sahel region. Due to the rise of extremist violence, Christians, Muslims, and other people of faith are increasingly targeted by campaigns of mass killings, abductions, and forced displacement. We remember, in particular, the hundreds of Christian civilians massacred in recent weeks and months in Nigeria’s Middle Belt and northern regions as well as in eastern Congo.

“We pray that government officials and people of all faiths may work together to bring lasting peace, justice, and security to the continent. We also reaffirm that lifesaving and life-affirming international assistance funding is a crucial complement to these efforts. The Catholic Church and the U.S. government have a shared responsibility to promote the international common good and respect for human life by contributing to international humanitarian and development assistance. 

“In fraternal unity with the church in Africa, we ask Our Lady Queen of Peace to comfort all those afflicted by violence and grant all people of goodwill the courage to build peace both in their local communities and across borders. As our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has said, ‘May every community become a “house of peace,” where one learns how to defuse hostility through dialogue, where justice is practiced and forgiveness is cherished.’”