WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 15, 2012 (Zenit.org).- On Wednesday the administrative committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published a statement expressing concern over the conflicts in the Middle East.
«The daily reports of conflicts, turmoil, bloodshed and violence can leave no one indifferent and unconcerned,” they declared.
«With Pope Benedict we share a special bond with our brother bishops, especially of the churches of the East who continue to guide their precious faithful and care for them in the most difficult of circumstances,” the statement continued.
«We urge a change of heart and mind on the part of all those who sow division and hatred. We plead with leaders of nations to show respect for the rights and dignity of all the citizens of their respective countries,” they said.
«We insist that peace, which is ultimately a gift of God, must be made the goal of every nation not only internally but in consort with all the nations and peoples of the region.”
«In a time of political uncertainty, economic suffering and social and cultural crisis, men and women of good will must reach across the divisions that have separated them and become peacemakers refusing to be caught up in the whirlwind of hatred and death that violence sustains,” they urged.
