US Catholic organizations send peace appeal to President Biden

The Congregation of the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace have joined more than two dozen US Catholic organizations in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to take the necessary steps to de-escalate the conflict in Israel-Palestine, including calling for a humanitarian ceasefire and for all parties to prioritize corridors for humanitarian aid for the people in Gaza; and to prioritize steps to secure the immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians.

The Sisters of St Joseph of Peace committed at the 23rd Congregation Chapter held in 2022 to resist every form of war and violence. In 2016, the Congregation adopted a statement calling for all governments to follow international law and expeditiously provide safe haven for refugees and asylum seekers with all rights guaranteed in UN Conventions. "It is in the spirit of these two Congregation statements that we signed this joint letter to President Biden," said Assistant Congregation Leader Sister Susan Francois. "Our hearts are broken by violence and loss of life in Israel and Gaza. We call on the US and UK governments to work tirelessly to meet immediate humanitarian needs caused by this crisis and to protect life, human dignity, and build the road to peace." The Sisters of St.Joseph of Peace minister in the United States and the United Kingdom, where they were founded in 1884 in Nottingham, England promote peace in the church, family life, and society.

Alarmed that the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for a humanitarian pause in Israel's ongoing bombardment and siege of Gaza, and that President Biden's October 19 Oval Office address so heavily focused on sending more weapons to this conflict while ignoring its root causes, the Catholic leaders warned that this could "increase the dehumanization, destruction, and trauma of all communities involved."

"As people of faith, we condemn Hamas' attacks and taking of hostages on October 7, and Israel's retaliatory violence that impacts all the people in Gaza," the letter states. "We mourn the loss of all life. We respond to conflict in accord with commitments to such sacred dignity, to just peace, and to accountability rather than retribution."

"We affirm that each person has been created in the image and likeness of the God of Love … If we continue to send weapons to this conflict, we will increase the dehumanization, destruction, and trauma of all communities involved. Yes, everyone has a right to defense. Yet, how we choose to defend can either perpetuate cycles of violence and trauma, or it can break cycles of violence and trauma. Now is the time to call for de-escalation and ceasefire, before more lives are lost and the conflict spreads."

The Catholic groups affirm the words of Pope Francis: "War does not solve any problem, it only sows death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies revenge. War erases the future."

Read the full text of letter here:

October 20, 2023

Dear President Biden,

We, the undersigned national Catholic organizations, are writing today to ask you to be an agent for peace and call for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.

As people of faith, we condemn Hamas' deadly attacks and taking of hostages on October 7, and Israel's retaliatory violence on the people of Gaza.

We mourn the loss of all life.

We affirm that each person has been created in the image and likeness of the God of Love.

We respond to conflict in accord with commitments to such sacred dignity, to just peace, and to accountability rather than retribution. We lift up and call for what Pope Francis calls "gestures of humanity" to break the cycles of dehumanization and violence.

For example, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa OFM, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, offered himself in exchange for the children taken hostage.

Much like St Maximillian Kolbe did in 1941, he offers to risk his own life to protect people, without killing others. We need many more concrete, creative gestures by our religious and political leaders to shift the energy and dynamic of hostility.

As fellow Catholics, we urge you, President Biden, to:

1. Publicly call for de-escalation, humanitarian ceasefire, and restraint by all sides.

2. Call on all parties to prioritize the establishment of more corridors for humanitarian aid to reach the people in Gaza currently in desperate need of food, water, shelter, medical care, and electricity.

3. Prioritize steps to secure immediate release of hostages and ensure international protection for civilians. If we continue to send weapons to this conflict, we will increase the dehumanization, destruction, and trauma of all communities involved. Yes, everyone has a right to defense. Yet, how we choose to defend can either perpetuate cycles of violence and trauma, or it can break cycles of violence and trauma. Now is the time to call for de-escalation and ceasefire, before more lives are lost and the conflict spreads.

We affirm the words of Pope Francis: "War does not solve any problem, it only sows death and destruction, increases hatred, multiplies revenge. War erases the future."

We implore you, President Biden, and the US Congress to focus on efforts to de-escalate the conflict and establish a humanitarian ceasefire. As Pope Francis said in response to the desperate situation in Gaza, now is the time to take the side of peace. Mr President, we pray for your safety, good health, and strength of spirit as an agent for peace.

Sincerely

Benet Hill Monastery of Colorado Springs,
Inc. Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd,
U.S. Provinces Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul USA
Franciscan Action Network
Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, Iowa
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Leadership Team of the Felician Sisters of North America
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
Nuns Against Gun Violence
Office of Peace, Justice, and Ecological Integrity
Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth
Pax Christi USA
Quixote Center School
Sisters of Notre Dame,
Atlantic-Midwest Province School
Sisters of Notre Dame,
Central Pacific Province Sisters of Bon Secours,
USA Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth
Office of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Justice Team
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary of the Woods,
Indiana Sisters of Saint Anne, USA Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa.
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet,
Albany Justice Committee and Office
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet,
LA Sisters of the Humility of Mary
Sisters of the Presentation, San Francisco,
California Stuart Center for Mission
U.S. Federation of the Sisters of St. Joseph
U.S. Province of the Society of Helpers