Bishops of Europe Call for a Definitive CEASEFIRE between Israel and Palestine - "Let us continue to pray for the miracle of peace.”

The Council of Episcopal Conferences of Europe (CCEE) met this week in La Valletta, Malta, for its annual Plenary Assembly.
The European bishops also looked with concern at the current situations of war: the one in Ukraine, now in its second year, the scenes in Nagorno Karabakh and the conflict in the Holy Land, reiterating their “no” to war and renewing their call for a definitive ceasefire, for the release of hostages and for humanitarian corridors to be kept open in Gaza.
The Bishops of Europe express their closeness to all those suffering from war in various parts of the world, especially in the Holy Land, Ukraine, and Armenia.

In the Declaration released by the Joint Committee of the Council of Bishops’ of Europe (CCEE) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC) on 7 November, the signatories condemn the violence in the Middle East and “call on the political leaders of all parties to exercise their responsibility to ensure a ceasefire on all fronts.”
“We demand that all civilian lives are protected and that humanitarian corridors are opened.”
The Declaration also noted: “The grave situation in which the people of Gaza live, restricted in their fundamental rights and forced to suffer injustices, has been going on for too long.”

“We demand the entire international community to mobilise and uphold the international law, in particular the UN resolutions, with the aim of opening serious negotiations to create a lasting peace, in truth and justice,” the statement says.

The session, entitled “New steps for a Synodal Church in Europe”, started on November 27th, and will run until 30 November.

One of the focuses of the opening day were the ongoing wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and the recent war in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, which was annexed in September by Azerbaijan, forcing most of its ethnic Armenian population to flee to Armenia.
In a video call from Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, offered an update on the latest developments in the Holy Land, including the humanitarian truce in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners and hostages.
In his keynote opening speech, CCEE president, Archbishop Gintaras Grušas of Vilnius, reaffirmed the European bishops’ closeness to all those suffering from war across the world and their plea for peace.
"Today, more than ever, the world needs peace,” he said, recalling Pope Francis’ words that war is always a “defeat for humanity."
“We continue to pray for the victims and their families. Let us continue to pray for the miracle of peace.”
Regarding the war in the Holy Land, Archbishop Grušas once again “firmly” condemned the terrorist rampage conducted by Hamas on 7 October, on behalf of the presidents of the European Bishops' Conferences.
He also decried the Israeli military escalation triggered by the attack because, he said, “violence cannot be a way to defend a cause."
The CCEE President also renewed the appeal for “a definitive ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip "so that the release of hostages may continue and the humanitarian corridors in Gaza may remain open."
Archbishop Grušas spoke of ongoing war in Ukraine, whose capital, Kyiv, was hit in recent days by the largest Russian drone attack since the start of its invasion in February 2022.
He noted that the flow of Ukrainian refugees to EU countries has required a surplus of effort from European Churches “which have committed to giving not only humanitarian aid but also pastoral assistance to those who have fled the country.
Here again, the President of the European bishops appealed for a just peace “in compliance with international law," which he said “is one of the great victims of this situation."
In his speech, Archbishop Grušas also addressed other issues, including the protection of life, referring in particular to the recent Indi Gregory case in the UK and to the French plan to make abortion rights constitutional.
He said the CCEE shares the French bishops’ concerns about the controversial project announced by President Emmanuel Macron. Regarding Indi Gregory, he stated that placing the power of determining if person will live or die in the hands of a judge is "unacceptable."
On Tuesday, the European bishops started discussing the central theme of the assembly, which focused on the 2021-2024 synodal process.
Keynote speakers were Cardinal Mario Grech, the General Secretary of the Synod, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the General Relator of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and Bishop Mariano Crociata, the president of the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE).

Sources: CCEE and Vatican News