Pope Francis was a strong advocate for the people of Gaza until his passing, and Pope Leo XIV has followed in his footsteps as an advocate for peace. As Catholics (or as supporters for peace), we uphold the message of our Holy Fathers, and we echo their cry for peace and justice. 

It is well established that the United States plays a significant role in the ongoing conflict, particularly as a supplier of weapons. As such, the American Church has a responsibility to speak out and advocate for peace as opposed to further violence. 

We ask our leadership in the Church (our clergy and other Catholic organizations) to join Pope Francis and Pope Leo in supporting the dignity of the people of Gaza. Please heed their call and lead the Church to work for peace and justice. 

We also ask our elected officials to listen to this call as they craft the policies that guide our involvement in the region. Let our nation work towards peace, not war. 

This petition is originating in Wisconsin, and we particularly appeal to our Wisconsin leaders (in the Church as well as the government) to hear this message. 

Below are a collection of key statements from Pope Leo XIV and Pope Francis to illustrate the message being upheld by this petition. 

In addition, here are links to several statements put forth by Caritas, the humanitarian aid arm of the Catholic Church, in conjunction with many other international aid organizations. Caritas Jerusalem is on the ground in Gaza, while Caritas Internationalis coordinates global efforts directly with the Vatican. We urge all leaders to hear what they have to say. 

“A Death Sentence” – Aid Agencies Warn of Israel’s Assault on Gaza City. September 12, 2025

Gaza: Israel threatens to ban major aid organisations as starvation deepens. August 14, 2025

As mass starvation spreads across Gaza, our colleagues and those we serve are wasting away. July 23, 2025

Statements from Pope Leo XIV:

I address, first of all, the representatives of various Catholic associations engaged in works of solidarity with the people of the Gaza Strip. Dear friends, I appreciate your initiative and many others throughout the Church that express closeness to our brothers and sisters who are suffering in that tormented land. Together with you and with the Pastors of the Churches in the Holy Land, I repeat: there is no future based on violence, forced exile, or revenge. The people need peace; those who truly love them work for peace.

Angelus, September 21, 2025

 

It’s going to be very difficult because some of the people, especially children, when people go into not only deprivation but of actual starvation, just to receive food doesn’t immediately solve the problem. They’re going to need a lot of help, medical assistance as well as humanitarian aid, to really turn that situation around, and right now it still looks very, very grave. The word genocide is being thrown around more and more. Officially, the Holy See does not believe that we can make any declaration at this time about that. There’s a very technical definition about what genocide might be, but more and more people are raising the issue, including two human rights groups in Israel have made that statement.

It’s just so horrible to see the images that we see on television, hopefully something will turn this around. Hopefully we won’t grow numb. That’s sort of a human response because you can only stand so much pain, so the numbness is a way of just deadening the nerves and saying, ‘I can’t take anymore’, so it stops. I think certainly human beings, and as a Christian response, we can’t grow numb, and we can’t ignore this. Somehow, we have to continue to push, to try and make a change there.

Interview with Crux News, September 18, 2025

 

I express my profound closeness to the Palestinian people in Gaza, who continue to live in fear and to survive in unacceptable conditions, forcibly displaced – once again – from their own lands.

Before God Almighty, who commanded “Thou shalt not kill”, and in the sight of all of human history, every person always has an inviolable dignity, to be respected and upheld.

I renew my appeal for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and a negotiated diplomatic solution, fully respecting international humanitarian law.

I invite you all to join in my heartfelt prayer that a dawn of peace and justice may soon arise.

General Audience, September 17, 2025

 

Today more than ever, we must make this question our own as a principle of reconciliation. Once internalized, it will resonate in this way: “Brother, sister, where are you?” Where are you in the “business” of wars that shatter the lives of young people forced to take up arms; target defenseless civilians, children, women and elderly people; devastate cities, the countryside and entire ecosystems, leaving only rubble and pain in their wake? Brother, sister, where are you among the migrants who are despised, imprisoned and rejected, among those who seek salvation and hope but find walls and indifference? Where are you, brother, sister, when the poor are blamed for their poverty, forgotten and discarded, in a world that values profit more than people? Brother, sister, where are you in a hyper-connected life where loneliness corrodes social bonds and makes us strangers even to ourselves?

The answer cannot be silence. You are the answer, with your presence, your commitment, and your courage. The answer is choosing a different direction of life, growth and development.

Address to the Participants in the Third World Meeting on Human Fraternity, September 12, 2025

 

I implore that all the hostages be freed, that a permanent ceasefire be reached, that the safe entry of humanitarian aid be facilitated, and that humanitarian law be fully respected, especially the obligation to protect civilians as well as prohibitions of collective punishment, indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of the population. I join the joint Declaration of the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch and the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who yesterday asked “to put an end to this spiral of violence, to end the war, and to prioritize people’s common good”.

General Audience, August 27, 2025

 

I am following with great concern the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the civilian population is suffering from severe hunger and remains exposed to violence and death. I renew my heartfelt appeal for a ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the full respect of humanitarian law.

Every human person possesses an inherent dignity, bestowed by God himself. I urge all parties involved in conflicts to recognize this dignity and to end every action that violates it. I call for negotiations aimed at securing a future of peace for all peoples, and for the rejection of anything that might jeopardize it.

Angelus, July 27, 2025

 

I express my profound sadness regarding last Thursday’s attack by the Israeli army on the Catholic Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza City, which as you know killed three Christians and gravely wounded others. I pray for the victims, Saad Issa Kostandi Salameh, Foumia Issa Latif Ayyad, Najwa Ibrahim Latif Abu Daoud, and I am particularly close to their families and to all the parishioners. Sadly, this act adds to the continuous military attacks against the civilian population and places of worship in Gaza.

I again call for an immediate halt to the barbarism of the war and for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

I renew my appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and to respect the obligation to protect civilians, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force and the forced displacement of the population.

Angelus, July 20, 2025

 

The history of the Eastern Catholic Churches has often been marked by suffering and violence. Sadly, there have also been instances of oppression and misunderstanding within the Catholic community itself, which at times failed to acknowledge and appreciate the value of traditions other than those of the West. Yet today, violent conflict seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown. Your annual meeting has itself been affected by the physical absence of those who were to have come from the Holy Land but proved unable to make the journey. Our hearts bleed when we think of Ukraine, the tragic and inhumane situation in Gaza and the Middle East, ravaged by the spread of war. All of us, by virtue of our humanity, are called upon to examine the causes of these conflicts, to identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them. But also to reject those that are false, the result of emotional manipulation and rhetoric, and to make every effort to bring them to light. People must not die because of fake news.

It is truly distressing to see the principle of “might makes right” prevailing in so many situations today, all for the sake of legitimizing the pursuit of self-interest. It is troubling to see that the force of international law and humanitarian law seems no longer to be binding, replaced by the alleged right to coerce others. This is unworthy of our humanity, shameful for all mankind and for the leaders of nations. After centuries of history, how can anyone believe that acts of war bring about peace and not backfire on those who commit them? How can we think that we are laying the foundations of the future apart from cooperation and a global vision inspired by the common good? How can we continue to betray the desire of the world’s peoples for peace with propaganda about weapons buildup, as if military supremacy will resolve problems instead of fueling even greater hatred and desire for revenge? People are beginning to realize the amount of money that ends up in the pockets of merchants of death; money that could be used to build new hospitals and schools is instead being used to destroy those that already exist!

Address to Participants in the Plenary Session of the “Reunion of Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches, June 26, 2025

 

In the Gaza Strip, the cry of mothers, of fathers who clutch the lifeless bodies of children and who are continually forced to move in search of a little food and safer shelter from bombing, rises ever more intensely to the sky.

I renew my appeal to the leaders: cease fire, release all hostages, fully respect humanitarian law.

General Audience, May 28, 2025

 

The situation in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying and painful. I renew my heartfelt appeal to allow the entry of dignified humanitarian aid and to put an end to the hostilities, the heart-rending price of which is being paid by children, the elderly and the sick.

General Audience, May 21, 2025

 

I am deeply saddened by what is happening in the Gaza Strip: may there be an immediate ceasefire! Let humanitarian aid be provided to the stricken civil population, and let all the hostages be freed.

Regina Caeli, May 11, 2025

 

Statements from Pope Francis:

I express my closeness to the sufferings of Christians in Palestine and Israel, and to all the Israeli people and the Palestinian people. The growing climate of anti-Semitism throughout the world is worrisome. Yet at the same time, I think of the people of Gaza, and its Christian community in particular, where the terrible conflict continues to cause death and destruction and to create a dramatic and deplorable humanitarian situation. I appeal to the warring parties: call a ceasefire, release the hostages and come to the aid of a starving people that aspires to a future of peace!

I appeal to all those in positions of political responsibility in our world not to yield to the logic of fear which only leads to isolation from others, but rather to use the resources available to help the needy, to fight hunger and to encourage initiatives that promote development. These are the “weapons” of peace: weapons that build the future, instead of sowing seeds of death!

May the principle of humanity never fail to be the hallmark of our daily actions. In the face of the cruelty of conflicts that involve defenseless civilians and attack schools, hospitals and humanitarian workers, we cannot allow ourselves to forget that it is not targets that are struck, but persons, each possessed of a soul and human dignity.

Ubi Et Orbi message, April 20, 2025

 

I am saddened by the resumption of heavy Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip, causing many deaths and injuries. I call for an immediate halt to the weapons; and for the courage to resume dialogue, so that all hostages may be released and a final ceasefire reached. In the Strip, the humanitarian situation is again very serious and requires urgent commitment from the conflicting parties and the international community.

Angelus, March 23, 2025

 

Let us pray for a ceasefire on all war fronts, in Ukraine, the Holy Land, in all the Middle East and the entire world, at Christmas. And with sorrow I think of Gaza, of so much cruelty; of the children machine-gunned, the bombing of schools and hospitals... So much cruelty!

Angelus, December 22, 2024

 

Yesterday the [Latin] Patriarch [of Jerusalem] was not allowed into Gaza, as had been promised; and yesterday children were bombed. This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to tell you this because it touches my heart.

Christmas Greetings of the Holy Father to the Roman Curia for the Exchange of Christmas Greetings, December 21, 2024

 

In the Middle East, where the open doors of nations like Jordan or Lebanon continue to be a salvation for millions of people fleeing conflicts in the region: I am thinking above all of those who leave Gaza in the midst of the famine that has struck their Palestinian brothers and sisters given the difficulty of getting food and aid into their territory.

According to some experts, what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide. It should be carefully investigated to determine whether it fits into the technical definition formulated by jurists and international bodies.

“Hope Never Disappoints: Pilgrims for a Better World.” Published November 19, 2024

 

There is one thing that I wish to say to you, from the bottom of my heart, dear brothers and sisters, but also to the men and women of every confession and religion who in the Middle East are suffering from the insanity of war: I am close to you, I am with you.

I am with you, the people of Gaza, long embattled and in dire straits. You are in my thoughts and prayers daily.

I am with you, who have been forced to leave your homes, to abandon schooling and work and to find a place of refuge from the bombing.

I am with you, the mothers who weep while looking at your dead or wounded children, like Mary at the sight of Jesus; with you, the children of the great lands of the Middle East, where the intrigues of those in power deprive you of your right to play.

I am with you, who are afraid to look up for fear of fire raining down from the skies.

I am with you, who have no voice, for despite all the talk of plans and strategies, there is little concern for those who suffer the devastation of war, which the powerful impose on others; yet they will be subject to the inflexible judgement of God (cf. Wis 6:8).

I am with you, who thirst for peace and justice, and refuse to yield to the logic of evil and, in the name of Jesus, “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:44).

Thank you, sons and daughters of peace, for consoling the heart of God, wounded by the evil of humanity. I also thank those throughout the world who assist you. I ask them, who in you care for Christ himself in the hungry, the sick, the stranger, the outcast, the poor and the needy, to continue to do so with generosity. Thank you, brother bishops and priests, who bring God’s consolation to those who feel alone and abandoned. Please look to the holy people you are called to serve and let your hearts be touched, putting aside, for the sake of your flock, all division and ambition.

Letter of the Holy Father Francis to the Catholics of the Middle East

We all understand that justice is fundamental for peaceful coexistence in society: a world without laws respecting rights would be a world in which it is impossible to live; it would resemble a jungle. Without justice, there is no peace. Without justice, there is no peace. Indeed, if justice is not respected, conflicts arise. Without justice, the law of the prevalence of the strong over the weak becomes entrenched, and this is not just.

Unfortunately, sad news continues to come from the Middle East. I reiterate my firm call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. I express my deep regret for the volunteers killed while engaged in the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza. I pray for them and their families. I renew my appeal for the exhausted and suffering civilian population to be given access to humanitarian aid and for the hostages to be released immediately. Let us avoid all irresponsible attempts to broaden the conflict in the region, and let us work so that this and other wars that continue to bring death and suffering to so many parts of the world may end as soon as possible. Let us pray and work tirelessly for weapons to be silenced and for peace to reign once again.

General Audience, April 3, 2024

 

I continue to receive very serious and sad news about Gaza. Unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and shootings. And this happened even within the parish complex of the Holy Family, where there are no terrorists, but families, children, people who are sick and have disabilities, sisters. A mother and her daughter, Mrs. Nahida Khalil Anton and her daughter Samar Kamal Anton, were killed, and other people wounded by snipers as they were going to the bathroom. The house of the Sisters of Mother Teresa was damaged and their generator was hit. Some say: “this is terrorism and war”. Yes, it is war, it is terrorism. This is why Scripture says that “God makes wars cease... he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear” (cf. Ps 46:9). Let us pray to the Lord for peace.

Angelus, December 17, 2023