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Ethiopia’s Catholic Bishops issue pastoral appeal for peace and reconciliation
In the wake of Pope Leo XIV’s appeal for the embattled Tigray region at his Sunday Angelus, the Bishops of Ethiopia have issued their own appeal for peace and prayer, stressing that armed conflict only worsens existing problems and decrying the painful reality that it harms the most vulnerable.
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Above all, the Ethiopian Catholic Church earnestly calls upon all parties to open their hearts to forgiveness and reconciliation by renewing the spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood among us, so that our nation may experience a just, lasting, and authentic peace.”
This was the appeal emphasized by the Catholic Bishops of Ethiopia in a pastoral appeal for peace and reconciliation issued by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Ethiopia (CBCE) on Thursday.
The message began by stressing that the Ethiopian Catholic Church grieves deeply over the armed conflict currently present in Tigray, Afar, Amhara, Oromia, and other regions of the country.
“Rather than resolving differences,” the Bishops decried, “war serves only to deepen divisions and multiplies suffering. It claims a tragic toll on precious human lives, inflicts grave devastation upon communities and property, and sows seeds of hatred, resentment, and vengeance that may endure for generations.”
The African Bishops echoed Pope Leo’s appeal for peace at his 30 September Angelus address, after his return from his Apostolic Journey to France, where he said he was following with deep concern the situation in Tigray and in the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara, where hostilities have once again broken out.
‘Armed conflict only worsens problems’
“I extend,” the Holy Father appealed, “my heartfelt plea to all parties to choose the path of dialogue. Armed conflict never solves problems but only worsens them, leaving in its wake a trail of death, destruction, and resentment. Only honest engagement can lay the foundations for lasting peace.”
In continuity with the Holy Father’s exhortation, the nation’s Catholic Bishops appealed in their statement “to all people, despite the differences that may exist among us, to regard the life of others as we regard our own life and the suffering of others as our own suffering, because the peace of our beloved nation, Ethiopia, is a responsibility shared by all of us.”
“It is our heartfelt prayer,” they voiced, “that all disputes may be settled through genuine dialogue and that all forms of conflict may cease.”
The need to unite in prayer for peace
In a special way, they recalled the “painful” reality that whenever violence erupts, the greatest suffering falls upon the most vulnerable, particularly innocent people, children, women, the elderly, and the sick.
“We continue to raise our voice,” they said, “so that this may not happen and to implore the Lord to protect every human life. We therefore affirm that a peace rooted in truth, justice, forgiveness, and reconciliation can bring healing to our nation and serve the welfare of all our peoples. Such a peace reflects the values of the Gospel, advances the common good, upholds the sacred dignity of the human person, and corresponds to the will of God for His people.”
The Bishops urged all Catholic faithful and all people of good will to persevere in prayer and fasting, imploring Almighty God to bestow upon their nation the blessings of reconciliation, unity, and lasting peace.
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