Church leaders in Jerusalem insist on immediate ceasefire in Gaza

By Vatican News

During a meeting earlier this week with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the  Patriarchs and Heads of Churches in Jerusalem  once again reiterated the Church’s firm stance “for an immediate and permanent humanitarian ceasefire, the protection of civilians, and the safeguarding of institutions providing services to them.”

This was at the core of the meeting, said a statement released by the Christian leaders, refuting some distorted reports by some media in Israel, “leading to a complete misrepresentation of its goals.”

In it they clarified that the meeting was “not a mere exchange of Holiday Season pleasantries,”  but was aimed specifically “at conveying the global ecclesiastical stance, demanding, on behalf of Christians worldwide, an immediate cessation of the bloodshed in Gaza.”

According to the statement, during the meeting the Church leaders of Jerusalem also addressed the plight of civilians, the restrictions on movement imposed in the West Bank, especially those around Bethlehem during the holiday season.