Lebanon’s patriarchs and bishops: ‘Persevere in prayer for peace’

As the Middle East reels under the weight of an increasingly complex war, Lebanese civilians once again find themselves paying the price of a familiar, painful scene. Against this backdrop, the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon issued a statement combining a clear spiritual stance, a bold national demand, and an urgent humanitarian appeal.

The council opened its statement by voicing deep concern over the dangerous escalation of armed conflicts in Lebanon and the wider region, the killing of innocent victims, forced displacement, and worsening humanitarian suffering.

The bishops reaffirmed their full alignment with Pope Leo XIV’s position that “violence is never the right choice,” stressing that peace is not a secondary option but rather “a human duty and a shared responsibility.”

Describing Lebanon as “a land of message and shared coexistence,” the council called on political leaders to keep the country out of regional conflicts and to protect national unity and civil peace. The statement also urged that weapons be restricted to the authority of the state “in a way that safeguards sovereignty, strengthens stability, and keeps Lebanon from gambling with its future.”

The council appealed to the international community and relevant bodies to do everything possible to prevent further escalation and to advance just solutions that protect the rights of the region’s peoples and uphold human dignity. The bishops expressed their conviction that “justice is the sure path to lasting peace.”

The statement also called on believers and all people of goodwill to extend help to those remaining in their villages and to welcome displaced civilians, so that the witness of love may be stronger than the logic of violence, echoing Christ’s words: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

Finally, the patriarchs and bishops urged the faithful to persevere in prayer for peace, asking God to “grant our troubled world a just and lasting peace, lead hearts to reconciliation, and steady the steps of the Lebanese on the paths of fraternity and harmony, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Queen of Peace.”

This story was first published by ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.