A well-known U.S. Catholic bishop has made a sincere plea for peace as violence between Israel and Iran escalates for the fourth day in a row. He calls for prayer and the resumption of international diplomatic efforts to stop a wider conflict in the Middle East.
On June 16, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan, the chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement urging the United States and the international community to strengthen their diplomatic efforts. He warned that without immediate efforts to mediate the situation, the region’s already fragile stability could unravel further.
Israel launched “Operation Rising Lion” on June 13—a concerted series of air and missile strikes purportedly directed at Iranian military targets and nuclear infrastructure—which set off the most recent escalation in hostilities. Citing increased Iranian nuclear activity and repeated threats against Israel’s existence by Iranian leaders, Israeli officials justified the operation as a necessary preventive measure.
Iran retaliated by attacking multiple Israeli cities, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with ballistic missiles. Israel insists that it is only concerned with military goals, despite Iran’s accusations that it targets civilian areas. The number of military and civilian deaths has rapidly increased; according to Iranian reports, there have been over 220 deaths, and Israeli sources have confirmed at least 24 deaths. As the conflict continues, these numbers are predicted to increase.
The ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran have collapsed, further worsening the situation. After Iran’s foreign ministry declared it would no longer participate in negotiations while Israeli airstrikes persisted, a scheduled sixth round of talks in Oman was abruptly called off. Iranian officials also characterized the United States as complicit in what they described as an act of war, accusing Washington of facilitating Israeli aggression.
Bishop Zaidan, who is also in charge of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, expressed grave concern about the suspension of these negotiations and the wider ramifications for regional peace. He underlined the moral obligation of world powers to pursue peaceful solutions and the serious dangers posed by a possible arms race, especially one involving nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
Bishop Zaidan echoed a call for a return to dialogue based on respect for one another and the common good, echoing the remarks of Cardinal Dominique Joseph Mathieu, a Catholic leader in Tehran and Isfahan, Iran. Cardinal Mathieu recently emphasized that Iran’s small but tenacious Christian population continues to persevere in the face of growing adversity, saying, “We pray that peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail.”
In a country with a population of over 84 million, there are roughly 22,000 Catholics, including Chaldean and Armenian faithful as well as Latin-rite Catholics. According to Cardinal Mathieu, these believers bear “the cross and hope,” a phrase that captures the spiritual strength needed to hold fast to one’s faith in the face of political unrest.
Bishop Zaidan also cited Pope Leo XIV’s teachings, reminding the world community that it is everyone’s responsibility to promote peace via dialogue and reconciliation. “All nations have a responsibility to advance the cause of peace by establishing avenues for reconciliation and advocating for solutions that ensure everyone’s safety and dignity,” he stated.
In his concluding remarks, Bishop Zaidan urged Catholics and all good-willed people worldwide to pray fervently for the conflict to end and for leaders to have the guts to choose peace over war. He prayed for the region to achieve peace, saying, “May the Prince of Peace move the hearts and illumine the minds of all.”
Alarms of hostilities have been raised not only in the Middle East but also in capital cities throughout Europe and North America due to the growing violence, which has heightened fears of a wider regional conflict involving other actors such as Hezbollah, several Gulf states, and proxy militias. The crisis was recently exacerbated by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which issued its first official condemnation in almost two decades after accusing Iran of breaking important nuclear nonproliferation agreements.
The voices of religious leaders like Bishop Zaidan serve as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war and the persistent hope that peace, despite its elusiveness, is still achievable as diplomatic channels break down and military operations intensify.
