Salhiyeh, Lebanon
6 November 2023
After a month of war in Gaza, I again raise my voice with all peace advocates, saying:
Stop the War
Stop the Shooting
Stop the Killing
Stop the bloodshed.
“Come to a common word.” (Surah 3: 64)
Jesus calls everyone to peace: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)
Saint Paul the apostle, addresses us, as he did the Ephesians, with this sublime spiritual appeal, “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (Ephesians 2:14)
All leaders of nations throughout the world, come together in a universal peace march.
Work today and not tomorrow for a just, lasting and comprehensive peace for all the children of the Holy Land, the land of the prophets and righteous people, the land of the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the land of the Night Journey or Miʿraj, the land for all of us Christians, Muslims and Jews, Palestinian Arabs and Israelis.
I welcome the efforts made worldwide, and especially by the United States of America, to stop the war and find a fundamental resolution of the Palestinian issue.
I say to everyone that we are all children of God, stewards of God, all human beings, equal in God-given dignity. We are all created “in his image and likeness.” (Genesis 1:26)
May our homes, mosques, churches and synagogues be places of prayer and supplication, asking God for peace, who is the God of peace.
Stop the War, Stop the War, Stop the War.
O God and King of Peace, give our land your peace.
Gregorios III
Patriarch Emeritus