During the Christmas Advent Season over 200 bishops and Christian leaders from more than 40 countries around the world unite to call for an end to all violence and arms sales to Israel. These Christian leaders assert that war is not the answer and that all weaponization and violence must cease, in order for diplomatic alternatives and nonviolent means of advocating for peace to flourish. 

 

Read CMEP’s cover letter to President Biden here.

 

 

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December 16, 2024

Advent is a season when, as Christians, we look forward to welcoming the Prince of Peace—a time to focus on love and joy, not violence and death.

Throughout the past year, we have witnessed the darkness of war in the Middle East. In Gaza, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, two-thirds of the territory has been destroyed, and the remaining Israeli hostages (many believed to be no longer alive) have not been released. In the West Bank, violence by settlers and the Israeli military continues to terrorize local communities while credible reports indicate Palestinian prisoners are being tortured in Israel. The war has intensified in northern Israel and Lebanon as well, where both populations face violence, death, and displacement. As Christian leaders, we believe that violence is a descending spiral that will never bring long-lasting peace and security. There is no military solution to this crisis.

Therefore, we are calling on our governments to make urgent efforts to work toward a comprehensive durable ceasefire that addresses the underlying historical and current issues and provides immediate and generous humanitarian aid for all those affected, especially in Gaza.

We are clear that all sides must lay down their arms in this conflict, but recognize that many of our governments are providing military assistance and arms sales exclusively to Israel, so this is where our respective countries have leverage. This Christmas season, therefore, we call for Advent, Not Arms: for the immediate suspension of arms sales and military assistance to Israel and the pursuit of regional peace. The continuing export of arms and provision of military aid to Israel merely fuels this conflict and diminishes the prospect of an end to this war.

There is credible evidence that all parties to this conflict have violated international humanitarian law and continue to do so in the manner they execute this war. The governments who continue to supply arms are complicit in these violations, in direct contravention of the 2013 Arms Trade Treaty. Therefore, we call on all governments to suspend arms sales to Israel.

As Christian leaders, we are united in our respect for the sacredness of all human life, and we stand opposed to the use of weapons to maim, kill, and displace. This Advent, we stand with our Christian sisters and brothers in the Middle East and with all people of peace and justice. Together, we call on our governments to turn away from violence by suspending arms sales and military assistance to Israel and move toward the path of peace and justice by employing the leverage they have to push further and more urgently for a ceasefire and a resolution to the historical issues at stake.

* Since this letter was written several events in the region have taken place including a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and the fall of the Assad government in Syria. These events underscore the continued need for diplomatic actions to ensure a peaceful end to conflicts and regional stability.

Rev. Dr. Chad Abbott
Conference Minister
Indiana Kentucky Conference, United Church of Christ
United States

Joyce Ajlouny
General Secretary
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
United States

Katie Metres Akbar
CMEP Board Member
Alliance of Baptists
United States

Rev. Eddy Aleman
General Secretary
Reformed Church in America
United States

Rev. Paul J. Allen IV
Regional Minister-President
Northern Lights Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
United States

Dr. Tanas Alqassis
Chair of the Board
Bethlehem Development Trust
United Kingdom

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian
Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate Diocese
Armenian Church of America, Eastern
United States

Sr. Dianne Baumunk
Coordinator of Ursuline JPIC in USA
Roman Union Ursulines of the USA
United States

Rev. David E. Bennett
President, Provincial Elders’ Conference
Moravian Church, Northern Province
United States

Bishop. Wayne Berndt
Chairman
Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
Japan

Bishop Giorgio Bertin
President
Caritas MONA
Italy

Adelaide Bertrand
Executive Director
Secours Catholique Caritas France
France

Bro. Andisile Best
Secretary General
Ethiopian Episcopal Church
Ethiopia

Danielle Bonetti
Coordinator of Justice Ministries
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Albany
United States

The Very Revd Mark Bonney
Dean of Ely
Church of England,
United Kingdom

Sister Barbara Brigham
Medical Mission Sisters, Justice Office
United States

Peter Brune
General Secretary
Caritas Sweden
Sweden

Adwoa Burnley
Yearly Meeting Clerk
Quakers in Britain
United Kingdom

Rev. Dr. LaMarco A. Cable
President and CEO
Disciples Overseas Ministries
United States

Rev. Helen Cameron
President
Methodist Church in Britain
United Kingdom

Anthony Cane
Dean of Portsmouth
Church of England
United Kingdom

Rt. Rev. Christian Carlassare
Bishop
Catholic Church – Diocese of Bentiu
South Sudan

Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon
Executive Director
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP)
United States

Rev. Molly Carlson
Conference Minister
South Central Conference of the United Church of Christ
United States

Janice Cebula
President
Sisters of St. Francis
United States

Pastor Raymond Chang
President
Asian American Christian Collaborative
United States

Rev. Frank Chikane
Chairperson
Steering Committee for the launch of the SA Chapter of the Global Anti-Apartheid Movement
South Africa

The Right Reverend Christopher Chessun
The Bishop of Southwark
The Church of England
United Kingdom

Sue Claydon
Chair
Anglican Pacifist Fellowship
United Kingdom

Bishop Coffi Roger Anoumou
Bishop
Diocese of Lokossa
Benin

Rev. Tyler Connoley
Conference Minister
Central Pacific Conference, United Church of Christ
United States

Kyle Cristofalo
Senior Director
Churches for Middle East Peace
United States

Bishop Jamal Daibes
President of Caritas Djibouti
Catholic Church
Djibuti

Christopher Dalliston
Dean of Peterborough
Peterborough Cathedral
United Kingdom

Rev. Dr. Rob Dalrymple
Executive Director
Determinethetruth
United States

Sister Pat Davis
Justice Contact
Sisters of the Presentation
United States

Bishop Jan De Groef
Bishop
Bishop of Bethlehem
South Africa

Marie Dennis
Senior Director
Pax Christi International’s Catholic Nonviolence Initiative
United States

George Devendorf
Senior Director, External Relations
Church World Service
United States

The Right Revd Dalcy Dlamini
Bishop
Anglican Church
Eswatini

Rev. Luke Dlamini
Provincial Secretary
SACC Mpumalanga
South Africa

Wiseman Vuyo Dlamini
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Rt. Revd Dr. Michael Doe
Board Secretary
Balfour Project
United Kingdom

Revd Canon Dr. Duncan Dormor
General Secretary
United Society Partners in the Gospel
United Kingdom

Michele Dunne
Executive Director
Franciscan Action Network
United States

Fran Eskin-Royer
Executive Director
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
United States

Bishop Paul Erickson
Bishop
Greater Milwaukee Synod, ELCA
United States

Jamie Eyre
Chief Executive Officer
Embrace the Middle East
United Kingdom

Mary Feigen
Justice Promoter
Dominican Sisters of Hope
United States

Sister Tesa Fitzgerald
President
Sisters of St. Joseph, Brentwood
United States

Andrew Fox
British Isles President
Community of Christ
United Kingdom

Dr. Matthew J. Frizzell
Co-chair
Community of Christ Human Rights Team
United States

Bishop Edgar Gactan
Bishop in Charge
Japan Catholic Council for Justice and Peace
Japan

Rt. Revd Dr. Martin Gainsborough
Bishop of Kingston
Church of England
United Kingdom

Cesar Garcia
General Secretary
Mennonite World Conference
Canada

Rev. Christopher Gaya
Bishop
Methodist Church
Namibia

The Most Rev. Anne Germond
Acting Primate and Bishop of the Diocese of Algoma
Anglican Church of Canada
Canada

Rev. Wesley Granberg-Michaelson
General Secretary Emeritus
Reformed Church in America
United States

The Reverend Canon Brian J. Grieves
Co-Chair
Friends of Sabeel, North America
United States

Sister Monica Gundler SC
President
Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati
United States

Rev. Michel W. Hansrod
General Secretary
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Rev. Dr. Andrew S. Hamilton
District Executive Minister
Southeastern District, Church of the Brethren
United States

Rev. Richard E. Hamilton
Regional Minister
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Illinois and Wisconsin
United States

Sr. Kathleen Harmon
Provincial Moderator
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
United States

Lisa Sharon Harper
Founder and President
Freedom Road, LLC
United States

Rev. Dr. Jay R. Hartley
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona
United States

Gabriel Hatti
President
Caritas Mauritania
Mauritania

Rev. Lawrence Hayes OFM
Provincial Minister
Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe (USA)
United States

Sr. Teresa Hougnon
President
Maryknoll Sisters
United States

Charlene Howard
Executive Director
Pax Christi USA
United States

Andrew Jackson
Chief Executive
Pax Christi England and Wales
United Kingdom

Thembelani Jentile
General Secretary
Baptist Convention of South Africa
South Africa

Lisa Jernigan
President
Amplify Peace
United States

Rev. Shana Johnson
Conference Minister
Illinois South Conference of the United Church of Christ
United States

Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Canada

Kathleen Kelemen
Area Co-Leader
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western American Area
United States

Leah Reesor-Keller
Transitional Executive Director
KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Canada

Bishop Steven C. Kellogg
CMEP Board Member Representative
Community of Christ
United States

Kelly Kellum
General Secretary
Friends United Meeting (FUM)
United States

Most Rev. Patrick A. Kelly
Archbishop Emeritus
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool
United Kingdom

Rev Kenneth Letsatsi Kgafela
Ecumenical Secretary
SACC Limpopo
South Africa

Rev. Sue Koenig
Board Member
Churches for Middle East Peace
United States

Ireneusz Krause
Deputy Director General
Caritas Poland
Poland

Bishop Donald Kreiss
Bishop
Southeast Michigan Synod, ELCA
United States

Agustina Langwagen
Director
Caritas Uruguaya
Uruguay

The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne
Moderator
The United Church of Canada
Canada

Damiana Lanusse
Advocacy Coordinator
SELACC
Haiti

Brigid Lawlor
Board Liaison
Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
United States

Rev. Molefi C. Letimela
Acting Secretary General
Council of African Independent Churches
South Africa

Rev. Dr. David Long-Higgins
Conference Minister
Heartland Conference, United Church of Christ
United States

Bishop JS Luphuwana
Bishop
South African Council of Churches
South Africa

Kathryn Lydon
Chair of Executive Committee
Pax Christi England and Wales
United Kingdom

Carlos Madjri Sanvee
Secretary General
World YMCA
Switzerland

Oscar Madlala
Moderator
MRCC
South Africa

Bishop Thembeka MaFaku
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Bishop Themba Mahuwa
Bishop
Diocese of Inqweba
Ethiopian Episcopal Church
South Africa

Dr. Peter Makari
Global Relations Minister, Middle East and Europe
Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
United States

Archbishop Thabo Makgoba
Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town
South Africa

LaDonna Manternach
Leadership Team
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
United States

Ps Mercy T. Manzini
Founder & Head of Women’s Ministry
Fire Touch Ministries & CAIC Women’s Ministry
South Africa

Dr. George Marchinkowski
General Secretary
Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa
South Africa

Charlotte Marshall
Director
Sabeel-Kairos UK
United Kingdom

Anibal Martinez
Coordinador de la Unidad de Cultura de Paz y Reconciliación
Caritas de Honduras
Honduras

Bishop Charles May
Bishop
Anglican Church
South Africa

Connor McBride
Program Manager
Caritas Australia
Australia

The Rev. Ian Ross-McDonald
General Secretary, The Life and Mission Agency
The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Canada

Jarrod McKenna
Pastor
Steeple Church
Australia

Very Rev. Andrew McLellan
Former Moderator of the General Assembly
Church of Scotland
United Kingdom

Bill Mefford
Executive Director
The Festival Center
United States

Brendan Metcalfe
Chief Executive Officer
Friends of the Holy Land
United Kingdom

Nicolás Meyer
Regional Coordinator
Cáritas América Latina y el Caribe
Argentina

Bubele Mfenyana
Vicar-General
Diocese of Grahamstown
South Africa

Catherine A. Minhoto
Area Co-Leader
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Western American Area
United States

Mary Lou Mitchell SSJ
Congregational President
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Rochester
United States

Bridget Moix
General Secretary
Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quaker)
United States

Sidwell Mokgothu
District Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Rev. Mzwandile Molo
General Secretary
South African Council of Churches
South Africa

Rt. Rev. Shadrack Moloi
Moderator
African Presbyterian Bafolisi Church of SA
South Africa

Bishop Motsewatile Morokane
District Bishop
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Father Claude Mostowik
President
Pax Christi Australia
Australia

Bishop Yvette Moses
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Rev. Mamoalusi Vallerie Mothupi
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Bishop Louis Mpofo
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana
Retired Bishop
South Africa’s Ethiopian Episcopal Church
South Africa

Archbishop Mpho Mofokeng
NEC member
South African Council of Churches
South Africa

Rev. Sipho J. Mtetwa
Immediate Past Moderator of General Assembly
Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa
South Africa

Sister Maryann Agnes Mueller
JPIC Coordinator
Felician Franciscan Sisters of North America
United States

Abba Musie’
Eparch Emeritus of Emdeber – Ethiopia
Ethiopia

Rev. Dominique Mukonda, CICM
Deputy Chief Executive
Caritas-Hong Kong
Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong

Michael Nasello
Director
Passionist Solidarity Network
United States

Marcus Túlio Oliveira Neto
Communications Coordinator
Cáritas América Latina y el Caribe
Brazil

Archbishop Thami Ngcana
General Secretary
Council of African Independent Churches
South Africa

Rev. Samuel Sithembiso Nkumanda
Nkumanda Presbyterian Church of Africa
South Africa

Rev. Sondlile H. Nkwanyana
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Bonisile Moses Ngcayisa-Rantsatsi
Moderator
Presbyterian Church of Africa
South Africa

Sr. Rose Therese Nolta, SSpS
Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters USA-JPIC
United States

Trevor Amafu Ntlhola
Board Member
The Evangelical Alliance South Africa
South Africa

Bishop Frank Nubuasah
Archbishop
Catholic Church
Botswana

Juan Antonio González Núñez
Apostolic Administrator
Vicariate Apostolic Hawassa
Ethiopia

Maria Nyman
Secretary General
Caritas Europa
Belgium

Rev. Pumla Nzimande
The Presiding Bishop
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Regina O’Connor
Coordinator for Social Concerns
Sisters of Saint Anne, St. Anne Community
United States

Rev. Jihyun Oh
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
United States

Rev. Teresa Hord Owens
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada
United States

Fr. Solomon Ponraj Panneerselvam
Director
Caritas Djibouti
Djibouti

Francisco de Asís De la Rosa Patrón
Director
Caritas Mexicana
Mexico

Dr. David R. Peoples
President
The Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc
United States

The Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath
Bishop
Church of England
United Kingdom

Dr. Tyrone S. Pitts
General Secretary Emeritus
The Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc
United States

Martin Pilgram
Chair
Pax Christi München
Germany

Right Revd. Edwin Pockpass
Bishop of George
Anglican Church Diocese of George
South Africa

Sister Sharon Pollnow
General Superior
Sisters of St. Agnes
United States

Rev. Dr. David K. Popham
Conference Minister
Hawai‘i Conference, United Church of Christ
United States

Betsy Pawlicki, OP
Catholic Women Religious
Leadership Council

Rev. Shari Prestemon
Acting Associate General Minister & Co-Executive
United Church of Christ Global Ministries
United States

Jean Quinn
Executive Director
UNANIMA International
United States

Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini
Bishop of Huehuetenango, Guatemala (Catholic)
Guatemala

Elvira Ramirez
Executive Director
Maryknoll Lay Missioners
United States

Gloria Rivera
Member
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
United States

J. Paula Roderick
Communication Liaison
Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle East Policy
United States

Rev Chris Rose
Director
Amos Trust
United Kingdom

William B. Rose-Heim
Regional Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Greater Kansas City
United States

Sebastian Rozario
Executive Director
Caritas Bangladesh
Bangladesh

Fr. Alvar Sanchez
Secrétaire Général
Caritas Maroc
Morocco

Richard L. Santos
President & CEO
Church World Service
United States

Bishop Monroe R. Saunders, Jr.
Presiding Bishop
United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic)
United States

Kirsten Sayers
Chief Executive Officer
Caritas Australia
Australia

Sister Joan Serda
Member
Sisters of Mercy
United States

Canon Richard Sewell
Dean of St George’s College, Jerusalem
Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem
Palestine

Alexis Mitsuru Shirahama
Bishop
Diocese of Hiroshima
Japan

Bishop Sithembele Sipuka
President
South Africa Council of Churches
South Africa

Bishop Tracy Smith Malone
President
Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church
United States

Patricia Soltesz, IHM
Sister
IHM Sisters (Monroe, Michigan)
USA

Bishop Humphrey Southern
Principal
Church of England, Bishop of Oxford
United Kingdom

Bishop Dr. Sox Leleki
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

David Steele
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren
United States

Luke Stocking
Interim Executive Director
Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
Canada

Rev. Bertram G Swartz
Synod Secretary
United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA
South Africa

Very Revd Dr. Tim Stratford
Dean
Chester Cathedral
United Kingdom

Dr. Jer Swigart
Executive Director
Global Immersion
United States

Rev. Adam Russell Taylor
President
Sojourners
United States

The Very Revd Abi Thompson
Dean of Sheffield
Church of England
United Kingdom

Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia A. Thompson
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
United States

Rt Revd Rachel Treweek
Lord Bishop of Gloucester
Church of England
United Kingdom

Rev. NC Tyokolwana
Vice President, Executive Member of the Provincial Board
Moravian Church of South Africa
South Africa

Rev. Sandra María Van Opstal
Executive Director
Chasing Justice
United States

Heleen Van den Berg
Executive Director
Cordaid
The Netherlands

Rev. Dr. Nioma Venter
General Secretary
Dutch Reformed Church
South Africa

Sally Vonner
General Secretary/Chief Executive Officer
United Women in Faith
United States

Jim Wallis
Chair and Director
Center on Faith and Justice at Georgetown University

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward
Ecumenical Officer
Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church
United States

Patrick Watt
CEO
Christian Aid
United Kingdom

Bishop Rosemarie Wenner
Ecumenical Officer
Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church
United States

Most Reverend John C. Wester
Archbishop
Archdiocese of Santa Fe
United States

Rev. James Wheagar
Senior Pastor
MEVAC
Côte d’Ivoire

Rev. Faith Whitby
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Rev. Rodney Whiteman
Chairman
Western Cape Provincial Council of Churches
South Africa

Rev. Don diXon Williams
Bishop of Inter-Organizational Relations and Public Policy
United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic)
United States

Rev. Louis Williams
Bishop
Methodist Church of Southern Africa
South Africa

Jen Morin-Williamson
Peace, Justice and Ecology Coordinator
Sisters of the Precious Blood
United States

The Rt Revd Dr. Dagmar Winter
Bishop
Church of England
United Kingdom

Very Revd John Witcombe
Dean
Coventry Cathedral
United Kingdom

Scott Wright
Ambassador of Peace
Pax Christi USA
United States

Mary T. Yelenick
Main UN Representative
Pax Christi International
United States

Very Rev. Thomas Zain
Vicar General
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
United States

Reverend Elijah R. Zehyoue
Co-Director
Alliance of Baptists
United States