WASHINGTON – “Our Catholic faith teaches us to hope even amidst the darkest of circumstances, for Christ is risen from the dead,” said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a letter inviting the bishops to pray for an end to the violence in the Holy Land. At a time of warfare in the Holy Land and the face of a dramatic rise in antisemitic and anti-Muslim incidents here in the United States, Archbishop Broglio called on the bishops to seek ways to express solidarity with our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters and commit to combatting all forms of hatred.

 

“Compassion is not a zero-sum game,” he said, referencing the loss of life in Israel and in Gaza, as well as the spike in hate crimes in the United States. “We join in mourning all those whose lives have been cut short. We share the desire for lasting peace.”

 

To mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, Pope Francis has called on Catholics to observe a day of prayer and fasting for peace on October 7. The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa has also asked the clergy and lay faithful of his diocese to observe October 7 as a day of prayer, fasting, and penance. To complement these efforts, Archbishop Broglio invited the U.S. bishops to join Pope Francis, and the Christians of the Holy Land “in fervent prayer for an end to the violence, for the prompt and safe return of all hostages, and for the conversion of hearts so that hatred may be overcome, opening a pathway to reconciliation and peace.”

 

Read Archbishop Broglio’s letter to the bishops here.