The military escalation between the United States, Israel, and Iran has set off all the alarms in the Church, which warns of the real risk of a regional war with devastating consequences and urgently calls for the return to dialogue.
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), issued an official statement on March 1 regarding the worsening of the conflict in the Middle East, urging Washington, Tehran, and the international community to “resume dialogue and seek all possible paths toward a just and lasting peace”.
“A tragedy of immense proportions”
The statement comes after the United States and Israel launched a broad aerial offensive against strategic Iranian targets, followed by retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran. The exchange of attacks has left hundreds of victims and has heightened fears of a larger confrontation across the region.
In this scenario, Coakley echoed the call of Pope Leo XIV, who in the Angelus on March 1 warned of the danger of a “spiral of violence” capable of opening “an irreparable abyss”.
“The growing conflict risks turning into a broader regional war. As the Holy Father has warned, we face the possibility of a tragedy of immense proportions,” the archbishop stated.
Multilateral Diplomacy and Protection of Innocent Lives
The USCCB president emphasized the need for immediate restraint and concrete measures to halt the escalation:
“My brother bishops and I join our voice to that of the Holy Father and make a sincere appeal to all parties involved for diplomacy to regain its proper role. We ask that the spiral of violence be stopped and that a multilateral diplomatic commitment be resumed that seeks to safeguard the ‘well-being of peoples, who yearn for a peaceful existence founded on justice’. All nations, international organizations, and partners committed to peace must make every possible effort to avoid further escalation”.
The message insists that peace cannot be reduced to a mere tactical ceasefire, but must be based on justice and the shared responsibility of states.
Prayer for Peace and for the Innocents
In the final part of the statement, the archbishop makes a direct call to the faithful:
“In this critical moment, I invite Catholics and all people of good will to continue our fervent prayers for peace in the Middle East, for the safety of our troops and the innocents, so that leaders choose dialogue over destruction and seek the common good instead of the tragedy of war”.
Coakley concluded by entrusting the situation to the intercession of the Virgin Mary: “We implore the intercession of our Most Holy Mother, Mary, Queen of Peace, that she pray for our troubled world and for a lasting peace”.