Stowe expressed hope his fellow bishops would join him in speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war, but acknowledged the topic has proven controversial in conservative and liberal circles alike.
Even so, the bishop stressed the need to take a stand, recalling that when Pope Francis visited the Holy Land in 2015, he prayed both at the Wailing Wall of Jerusalem as well as the concrete walls that separate Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“It’s easy to think that you have to fall into one side or the other, but we’re asking for peace for everybody,” he said. “We can’t be antisemitic, but we can’t support what (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu, Israel and the Israeli government at this time is doing to Palestinians.”
Stowe later added: “We have to realize the injustice with which the Palestinians have lived for decades.”
As the protest concluded with the Lord’s prayer, several attendees began to gather for another protest at the White House nearby, where they intended to risk arrest while praying and singing along the fence.
The prayer vigil is one of several protests convened by Pax Christi and a range of other religious groups in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere calling for a cease-fire since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7. In addition to sprawling protests organized by Jewish groups such as Jewish Voice for Peace and If Not Now, a number of Christian and Muslim groups have protested, prayed and issued statements condemning the ongoing Israeli assault into Gaza and demanding an end to hostilities in the region.
Francis has also called for a cease-fire in Gaza on multiple occasions, including during his recent Easter message.
This article originally appeared here.
