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Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 16, 2025 / 18:40 pm (CNA).

Catholic leaders in both Iran and Israel are praying for peace as violence between the two nations continues to escalate following Israel’s assassinations of Iranian military officials and nuclear scientists and Israeli airstrikes against Iranian military facilities and nuclear sites.

Israel launched its initial attack on June 13, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating Israel’s goal is to halt Iran’s nuclear program. In response, Iran has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, the majority of which Israel has successfully shot down. More than 200 Iranians and at least 24 Israelis have been killed.

Cardinal Dominique Mathieu of the Archdiocese of Tehran–Isfahan in Iran as well as Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem in Israel, are both praying for peace at a time when many worry that the military conflict could expand.

In an interview with AsiaNews, Mathieu said hours after the initial attack that “it is with regret that we observe … once again that peace is sought through preventive attacks instead of committing to dialogue around the negotiating table.”

“We pray that peace through dialogue based on a consensus will prevail,” he said. “May the Holy Spirit guide this process.”

The Patriarchate of Jerusalem posted a prayer “for a just peace” on its official X account just hours after the initial attack.

“O God of peace, ‘You are the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (Heb 13:8),” the prayer reads. “You have said: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid’ (Jn 14:27).”

“We lift our weary hearts to you, Lord, longing for your light amid the shadows of fear and unrest,” the prayer continues. “Teach us to be peacemakers, for ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God’ (Mt 5:9). Sow in us the seeds of reconciliation, and make us instruments of your peace in a wounded world.”

“Grant us the grace to live as you have commanded: ‘If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all’ (Rom 12:18). Let there be in our cities and lands: ‘Peace within your walls and security within your towers’ (Ps 122:7). In the midst of trouble, we proclaim: ‘The Lord is my light and my salvation: Whom shall I fear?’ (Ps 27:1). ‘I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety’ (Ps 4:8).”

“We trust in your everlasting promise: ‘Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ (Mt 28:20). Amen.”

Pope Leo XIV also spoke about the escalating violence over the weekend, saying “the situation in Iran and Israel has seriously deteriorated” and appealed to “responsibility and reason.”

“Our commitment to building a safer world free from the nuclear threat must be pursued through respectful encounters and sincere dialogue,” Leo said.

It is the “duty of all countries” to pursue “paths of reconciliation” and promote solutions that are grounded in justice, fraternity, and the common good to build lasting peace and security in the region, the pontiff said.

Israel’s attack came amid ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Iran concerning a nuclear deal that would avoid military conflict. American and Iranian officials were scheduled to meet on June 15 in Oman, but Iran canceled the talks after the attack.

ACI Prensa Staff, Jun 16, 2025 / 18:10 pm (CNA).

Cardinal Bechara Boutros Raï, patriarch of the Maronite Church in Lebanon, lamented the decline of the Christian population in the Middle East, noting that the Christian presence in the region exerts a moderating influence on Islam.

“If this Middle East is emptied of Christians, then Muslims will lose their moderation,” the cardinal warned in an interview with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

“Many have had to leave Syria, because no one can live under war, under bombardment,” the patriarch stated from the episcopal see of the Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch in Lebanon.

In Syria, the economic, financial, and security situation combined with war has caused a large Christian exodus. “The positive side is that they have been able to restart their lives and have taken their faith around the world. The negative side is that the country is emptying of Christians,” said Raï, who called on states to change their perspective and take measures to stop this from taking place.

“It’s not about looking at the number of Christians but rather at the value that the presence of Christians brings,” he pointed out.

In Lebanon — the only country in the region where the Christian community is not a small minority — Christians have become a beacon of hope for believers in the Middle East, unlike Iraq, Jordan, and Syria, where Christians are considered second-class citizens.

“There are Christians and Muslims all over the world, but in Lebanon their presence is guaranteed by the constitution, and if a government were to act against this coexistence it would be outside the law. The Lebanese constitution guarantees a Christian presence,” the cardinal explained.

The prelate expressed his hope for this kind of coexistence in Syria and Iraq, “because this life together creates Muslim moderation,” he said.

According to ACN, in Lebanon, many Muslim families send their children to Catholic schools, “because they are models of coexistence.” Raï noted that in southern Lebanon, all the students in Catholic schools are Muslim, which represents an opportunity “to contribute the value of communal life, the value of moderation.”

“These schools are doing everything possible to remain open, especially in the mountains, for the good of the citizens,” the Maronite patriarch added.

The hard reality of Lebanese Christians

ACN noted that in May 2024, the World Bank warned that poverty in Lebanon went from 12% to 44% in 2022 across surveyed areas. The cardinal said the consequences of this reality are suffered equally by Christians and Muslims.

“Muslims get help from other Muslim countries, but the Christians in Lebanon can only count on the Church,” which has far fewer resources, and “that’s why they are destitute,” he lamented. “The Christians are poor, and that affects issues such as access to food, medication, and hospital care,” he added.

Despite the difficulties, the Maronite patriarch said that “our people are a people of prayer, a God-fearing people. Our churches are full of youth, of people who pray, and thanks to this prayer, Lebanon can rise again.”

“The Christians of the Middle East have a mission in the Middle East, to bear witness to Christianity in the Middle East, along with the Muslims, for this martyred Middle East. This is where our mission is, and this is where we will stay,” the patriarch affirmed.

Finally, he pointed out that Middle Eastern Christians are guardians “of the roots of Christianity in the Holy Land” and that the first communities to adopt the Christian faith are found in the region. “We should help them to remain and not leave,” he emphasized.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.