1991 Urgent Appeal to the Leaders of the World by the Heads of the Christian Communities of the Holy Land

From Jerusalem, the City of Peace, we, the Heads of the Christian Communities of the Holy Land, address this urgent appeal to you.

We implore you to do everything possible to remove the threat of war in the region, and bring peace to this troubled spot on earth, so that future generations may live in peace and harmony together.

We urge you to concentrate all your efforts to salvage the peace of this region and avert the horror of war, which may erupt as a consequence of the escalating Gulf crisis.

We call upon you to “beat your swords into ploughshares and your spears into pruning forks” and to promulgate a spirit of international détente conducive to peace and understanding among all the nations of a world where conflicts are laid to rest and tensions are reduced.

We appeal to the world conscience to bestir itself, and pray to our Lord, the Light of the world, to inspire you with a new vision for a new world, where the wolf may indeed lie with the sheep.

We call on the international community to help pave the way for a new era of peace. We stand upon the threshold of the third Millennium. Let us strive to make the moving force of the coming era fear of the Lord and love of our fellow beings, for there can be no power stronger than love. In all our undertakings, we shall be guided and sustained by the strength of the Holy Spirit.

We call upon believers in the entire world to join us in prayer on Sunday, January 13. Let a cry issue forth from the Church in Jerusalem and in the Holy Land for justice and reconciliation and peace on earth and goodwill among men.

Jerusalem, 13 January 1991