On April 30, the Korean Catholic Priests'
Association for Justice released a statement titled "God Rejects War," urging people to break free from indifference toward war and to pray for and stand in solidarity for peace. This statement was prepared to join Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace in a situation where armed conflicts, such as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war, continue, and to condemn all wars, and to call for the choice of peace. The statement pointed out that war destroys the lives of the most powerless first, but those who start the war do not bear the suffering. The priests emphasized, “The Lord, the Good Shepherd, is walking the path to true life and true peace yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” adding, “What is needed in an age of war is not effective strategies, but people who recognize the voice of the Lord and actually follow His path.” Following God's will to reject war and choose peace, every day at 9 p.m., they offered the Lord's Prayer and appealed to remember all beings sacrificed due to war during Mass, urging peace on the Korean Peninsula and the cessation of wars of aggression by the United States, Israel, Russia, and others. The priests urged, “Remaining silent or standing by is by no means neutrality, but another form of complicity in violence,” adding, “Let us draw the cries of the suffering into our prayers and respond to the peace chosen by God.” Furthermore, citing the Pope's criticism of invoking God's name in war, they called on the international community to fulfill its fundamental responsibility to protect life, transcending self-interest and political expediency. The group of priests stated, "The parties to the war must immediately cease the use of force and move toward the table of dialogue and negotiation," adding that "no justification can legitimize the sacrifice of innocent lives."
Association for Justice released a statement titled "God Rejects War," urging people to break free from indifference toward war and to pray for and stand in solidarity for peace. This statement was prepared to join Pope Leo XIV’s call for peace in a situation where armed conflicts, such as the U.S.-Israel-Iran war and the Russia-Ukraine war, continue, and to condemn all wars, and to call for the choice of peace. The statement pointed out that war destroys the lives of the most powerless first, but those who start the war do not bear the suffering. The priests emphasized, “The Lord, the Good Shepherd, is walking the path to true life and true peace yesterday, today, and tomorrow,” adding, “What is needed in an age of war is not effective strategies, but people who recognize the voice of the Lord and actually follow His path.” Following God's will to reject war and choose peace, every day at 9 p.m., they offered the Lord's Prayer and appealed to remember all beings sacrificed due to war during Mass, urging peace on the Korean Peninsula and the cessation of wars of aggression by the United States, Israel, Russia, and others. The priests urged, “Remaining silent or standing by is by no means neutrality, but another form of complicity in violence,” adding, “Let us draw the cries of the suffering into our prayers and respond to the peace chosen by God.” Furthermore, citing the Pope's criticism of invoking God's name in war, they called on the international community to fulfill its fundamental responsibility to protect life, transcending self-interest and political expediency. The group of priests stated, "The parties to the war must immediately cease the use of force and move toward the table of dialogue and negotiation," adding that "no justification can legitimize the sacrifice of innocent lives."
