Senior Church Leaders call for peace in Gaza

Senior church leaders from across the traditions have issued a joint statement calling for an end to the war in Gaza and the release of all hostages and prisoners after Israel launched its major ground offensive in Gaza City

In the joint statement, the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, and the other church leaders insist that “this deadly escalation is futile and must stop”, urging the international community to ensure that Israel upholds its legal responsibility to protect civilians.

The leaders applaud the work of the Churches of the Holy Land and pray for the clergy and nuns who have remained in Gaza City to care for civilians seeking refuge in their church buildings.  

The joint statement was released ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on Sunday, 21 September – a day that Christian organisations and churches have designated a day of prayer and public witness to ask Christians in the UK to come together to pray for an end to war, violence and suffering in the Holy Land.