From Gaza to Juba, Cardinals Urge Faithful to Pray as World Grows Numb to Endless Wars

As the world reels from unrelenting violence in Gaza, a stalemated war in Ukraine, and worsening instability in South Sudan—despite one of the most dramatic papal interventions in recent history—the College of Cardinals has issued a solemn appeal for peace, urging the global Catholic faithful to intensify prayers for an end to bloodshed.

In a statement released by the Holy See Press Office on Tuesday, the cardinals, gathered in General Congregation ahead of the next conclave, said they "note with regret" that efforts to broker peace in key conflict zones have stalled or collapsed entirely.

"On the contrary," the statement read, "attacks – especially those harming the civilian population – have intensified."

The cardinals’ message comes at a time of grave international concern. In Gaza, ceasefire agreements continue to falter amid deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

Pope Francis has repeatedly dedicated prayers to the victims and even made regular video calls to check on the situation in the war-ravaged enclave.

In Ukraine, the grinding war with Russia shows no clear path to resolution.

And in South Sudan, Pope Francis's extraordinary gesture in 2019—kneeling to kiss the feet of President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar—has yet to bear the fruit of peace, with fresh fighting and mass displacement on the rise as Machar remains under house arrest.

It is against this backdrop that the cardinals have made what they describe as "a heartfelt appeal" to all warring parties.

“We appeal to all sides to reach, as soon as possible, a permanent ceasefire and to negotiate—without preconditions and further delays—the peace so deeply desired by the affected populations and by the entire world,” the statement urged.

The College, composed of senior leaders of the global Catholic Church, called on believers everywhere to persist in prayer.

“With this in mind,” the statement added, “we invite the faithful to intensify their supplication to the Lord for a just and lasting peace.”

While the Vatican’s diplomatic efforts have often taken place behind closed doors, Pope Francis has been vocal and emotional in his condemnation of war.

The pontiff has lamented what he describes as the global “anaesthesia of conscience” in the face of continuous violence. He has particularly condemned the killing of children in conflict zones and described war as a “defeat for humanity.”

The cardinals' renewed appeal also reflects broader frustration at the failure of international diplomacy to prevent atrocities and uphold basic humanitarian principles.

Observers note that religious leaders—especially in the Catholic Church—are increasingly stepping in to fill the moral void left by political paralysis.

Even as preparations begin for the next conclave to choose a new pope when the time comes, the cardinals have made clear that their spiritual responsibility extends far beyond the Church.

“This is not just a time for transition,” one Vatican insider noted. “It is a moment of reckoning with the world’s growing indifference to suffering.”

The cardinals’ statement ends not with doctrine, but with a plea—that the global faithful not grow weary of hoping and praying for peace.

In South Sudan, Pope Francis's extraordinary gesture in 2019—kneeling to kiss the feet of President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar—has yet to bear the fruit of peace, with fresh fighting and mass displacement on the rise as Machar remains under house arrest.