The escalating conflict in the Middle East has drawn a strong call for peace from Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who issued an urgent statement calling on the United States, Iran, and the international community to “return to dialogue and pursue every avenue for a just and lasting peace.” Echoing Pope Leo XIV’s appeal during his March 1 Angelus address warning that continued violence could create a “spiral of violence” leading to “an unbridgeable chasm,” Coakley emphasized restraint, multilateral diplomacy, and protection of innocent lives.
