Paul Keenan“It would be so right if the commanders of all missile systems that were in the crash area on July 17 told the whole truth about what they did and saw, if they said it to everyone, to God and people!"
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, head of the Russian Orthodox Churcjh’s Synodal department for Relations between Church and Society calls for truth in relation to doomed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.
“Be brave in front of what you are facing, do not be afraid, you have deep roots in Iraq, do not give up for frustration and despair, confident that ‘for all who draw the sword will die by the sword’ (Mt. 26:52) and evil does not last! You are the small mustard seed, the Lord will not let you fall.”
Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako delivers a personal message to Christians forced to flee Mosul.
“We never fought wars of conquest, and now do not attack other people, but we have a sacred duty to defend our country. Sometimes it happens that the wicked invader cannot be stopped other than answering with arms to arms, and this is a tragedy. And the Church of God will ask for God’s mercy for a man ready to sacrifice his life defending his country, even with radical means, and for the healing of the wound that the murder might inflict to his heart.”
Leader of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, asserts that Christians have a right to self-defence.
"Spiritual religious leaders and inter-religious diplomacy can sometimes pave the way for a dialogue between nations. Inter-religious dialogue can lower the animosity between two sides of a conflict, create more trust and build bridges to peace."
Israel’s Ambassador to the Holy See Zion Evrony acknowledges the role of religious communities in peacebuilding.
“Here there is no talk of the futility of of needless suffering, or that suffering should have the last world on our existence. There are no cruel implications that the terminally-ill are a burden on our way of life and our resources. Here no one points to the dark door of suicide , whether assisted or not. Lourdes has far more to teach us about dying well than the killing clinics of Holland or Switzerland.”
Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster offers a relection on Lourdes ahead of his own pilgrimage.
“I hope the Pope will soon visit New York. We love this pope in New York. His is an important voice, and he's very focused on the challenges of a world in crisis.”
New York Mayor Bill De Blasio speaking after his July 21 visit to the Vatican.