World Faith leaders urge peace in Ukraine

Faith leaders met in Jerusalem on Monday, March 21 and called for peace in Ukraine.

The interfaith gathering followed the delivery of an interfaith letter to Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, calling on him to use his close connection with Russian President Putin to request that he take immediate steps to de-escalate the conflict, and seek a peaceful resolution to it. The letter was signed by 150 Jerusalem and global religious leaders and clergy.

“We, religious leaders representing many faith traditions, write to express our concern with the war taking place in Ukraine,” stated the letter by the Faith leaders. “We are mindful of our religious obligation to choose peace through dialogue. Our role is to pray for and support peaceful resolutions of conflict situations.”

“We are saddened to see the fighting, which pits people of faith against each other. The current conflict has already resulted in a significant loss of life, of both combatants and civilians. The conflict also poses a much wider risk of destruction beyond Ukraine, including the threat of a nuclear accident and a larger conflict between nuclear armed powers, which we know God wants us to avoid at all costs. In this moment, religious leaders are called to rise to the occasion on behalf of God, people, and all creatures.”

Read the letter here: https://elijah-interfaith.org/.../letter-to-patriarch...