Destroyed buildings in Tehran after an Israeli attack on Iran on June 13, 2025. Photo by Tasnim News Agency and available on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0,
Maryknoll Joint Leadership Statement on U.S.-Israel War on Iran
In a unified voice of sorrow and hope, the Maryknoll family calls on the leaders of the United States, Israel, and Iran to move beyond the cycle of violence and commit to the urgent task of diplomacy and peace.
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The four organizations of the Maryknoll family—the Sisters, Fathers and Brothers, Lay Missioners, and Affiliates—speak today from a place of deep sorrow and shared hope. For over a century, our missioners have crossed borders to accompany communities in the Global South, sitting at the tables of those the world often forgets or disregards. Today, as the shadow of war between the United States, Israel, and Iran stretches across the Middle East, we do not see a conflict of “interests” or “assets.” We see the faces of our neighbors. We mourn every life lost in this spiral of violence, and we feel the trembling of families caught in the crossfire of a war they did not choose. We join a global chorus in pleading for a stop to the fire, urging leaders to set aside their weapons and return to the difficult, sacred work of the negotiation table.
In a world increasingly divided by labels, we reject the idea that any nation or people exists outside the circle of our common humanity. When leaders speak of threats to civilization, they risk blinding us all to the truth that we are one human family, bound together by the same joys and the same fragile breath. We believe that true peace is not just a quiet battlefield; it is a vibrant enterprise of justice. It cannot be built upon the ruins of cities or the shattered lives of civilians, for every act of indiscriminate destruction is a wound dealt to the heart of God. We urge those in power to look past the cold logic of military dominance and rediscover the culture of encounter—a way of seeing the “other” not as a target, but as a brother or sister.
As we journey through this season of Lent, a time of reflection and renewal, we are reminded that being a peacemaker is not a passive wish but a courageous choice. We call upon the leaders of the United States, Israel, and Iran to make the courageous choice for dialogue over destruction. We advocate for an immediate de-escalation that protects the innocent, a commitment to diplomacy that honors international law, and the swift, unhindered delivery of aid to those whose lives have been upended. Together, as the Maryknoll family, we stand firm in the belief that even in the darkest hour, the path to reconciliation remains open to those who seek it.
Maryknoll Sisters
Maryknoll Lay Missioners
Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers
Maryknoll Affiliates
Photo credit Tasnim News Agency, CC BY 4.0.
