US Catholic bishops request prayers for peace in Israel ahead of Holy Week

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a call for prayer for peace in the Middle East and an end to the Israel-Hamas war in a statement Saturday, the day before the start of Holy Week. 

"As the Church enters Holy Week and Christ’s suffering on the cross and his resurrection are made present to us so vividly, we are connected to the very source of hope," the statement said.

The statement was signed by USCCB President Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services and Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon.

Zaidan, a Maronite Catholic, is the chair of the USCCB's international justice and peace committee. His eparchy, the equivalent of a "diocese" in Eastern Catholic churches, is based in Los Angeles. 

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"It is that hope that spurs us to call on Catholics here in the United States and all those of good will to renew their prayers for an end to the raging Israel-Hamas war." 

Holy Week is the weeklong period ahead of Easter. It begins on Palm Sunday, when Christians commemorate Jesus returning to Jerusalem, and ends on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. 

"Thousands of innocent people have died in this conflict, and thousands more have been displaced and face tremendous suffering," the bishops said. "This must stop." 

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"One cannot move forward in war," Pope Francis recently said. "We must make every effort to negotiate, to negotiate, to end the war." 

This war, they said, must stop.

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"To move forward, a cease-fire and a permanent cessation of war and violence is absolutely necessary," the bishops said.

"To move forward, those held hostage must be released, and civilians must be protected. To move forward, humanitarian aid must reach those who are in such dire need."

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Christians, said the bishops, are "rooted in the hope of the resurrection." 

"So, we pray for a just and lasting peace in the Holy Land," they added. 

Since the start of the war in Israel, the USCCB has consistently issued calls for peace, prayer, fasting and the release of hostages captured by Hamas. The conference has also decried the deaths of civilians. 

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