More than 200 bishops have put their names to a declaration calling for peace and equal rights across the Middle East, Churches for Middle East Peace announced. The document was issued in Assisi, Italy, on October 29, 2026, the 40th anniversary of the Global Day of Prayer for Peace. CMEP says it sent the declaration to the administration of President Trump along with a cover letter.
The bishops write that they join Pope Leo XIV and Christians around the world in renewing the call St. John Paul II made at Assisi in 1986 and the late Pope Francis reaffirmed in 2023: reject violence, uphold human dignity and pursue a just and lasting peace. They state that religious freedom, human dignity, peace and justice are inseparable. They speak as Christians, they say, but their concern is for all who call the region home.
The declaration describes Christianity in the Holy Land and the Middle East as having reached a critical moment. It points to wars and crises in Israel and Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Syria and Iraq that have claimed countless lives and displaced millions, with innocent civilians bearing the greatest burden. "We must act now, or Christians may all but disappear from the Middle East," the bishops write. They add that a shrinking Christian presence signals that justice, security and hope are failing for everyone, and they say the Church seeks no privilege, only societies where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Druze, Yazidis and all people can flourish with equal rights under the law.
The bishops condemn antisemitism, Islamophobia, Christian persecution, Christian Zionism and every ideology that privileges or excludes any group of people. They call on governments to end violence through sustained diplomacy, ensure unhindered humanitarian assistance, protect places of worship and vulnerable communities, and uphold human rights and international humanitarian law without exception. They also ask for due process for all who are detained.
CMEP, formed in 1984, describes itself as a coalition of more than 30 national church communions and organizations, including Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Evangelical traditions. It asks Christians to stand with the churches of the Middle East and to raise their voices with elected leaders. The declaration closes with the hope of Scripture: swords beaten into plowshares, and every family living without fear under its own fig tree. Jesus calls peacemakers blessed in Matthew 5:9. Pray for peace in the region and for the Christians who remain there.
Read Matthew 5:9
