We pray that by the time you read this magazine, peace has returned to the Holy Land and the greater Middle East. Yet the reality is that war is more easily ignited than extinguished.
A day after the start of the conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran, Pope Leo XIV warned that the “spiral of violence” threatened a “tragedy of enormous proportions.” At the same time, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. bishops conference, warned that the “growing conflict risks spiraling into a wider regional war.”
The joint Maryknoll leadership of priests, brothers, sisters and lay people issued a statement pleading for a cessation of the conflict, saying, “We see the faces of our neighbors. … and we feel the trembling of families caught in the crossfire.” They also issued a separate statement condemning the extreme tactics of immigration enforcement. Both statements are addressed in this issue.
We also publish a moving reflection on St. Óscar Romero, who was martyred when he enjoined soldiers of El Salvador to stop killing their own people. Readers will also find in this issue an introduction to our Maryknoll seminarians in Nairobi; a profile of our priest candidate who will be ordained on June 6; and articles on a Maryknoll sister’s prison ministry in Hong Kong, the work of lay missioners in Brazil and ministry to migrants in El Paso, Texas. We leave you with Jesus’ words, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Mt. 5:9)
Lynn F. Monahan
Editor-in-Chief
