San Carlos Bishop Gerardo A. Alminaza called for an end to all wars as the conflict between Israel and Iran escalates.
“No one wins in any war,” Alminaza said on Wednesday, June 25.
He appealed for prayers for the safety of all non-combatants, “especially our overseas Filipino Workers and officials” in Israel and Iran.
Alminaza also issued a call for shared humanity in a pastoral alert on the Feast of St. John the Baptist on Tuesday, while participating in the Jubilee of Bishops at the Vatican City.
Quoting both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV, Alminaza described the current moment not just as a period of global unrest, but as an epochal shift marked by systemic moral, ecological, and geopolitical crises.
The bishop condemned the massive war spending — reportedly as high as $200 million per day in the Israel-Iran conflict alone — and questioned the priorities of world leaders.
“No one heals himself by wounding another,” he said, quoting St. Ambrose. “This is not simply a budgetary issue. It is a moral failure”, he said.
This is not a time to remain on the sidelines Alminaza said.
“Let us not be passive observers, but prophetic disciples— rooted in prayer, guided by conscience, and in solidarity with the poor and the planet,” he said..
“Let us reclaim our shared humanity. Let us sow the seeds of a new era — founded not on domination, but on justice, compassion, and peace,” Alminaza said.
He also urged global citizens to invest in peacebuilding, education, and care for the poor and the planet.
“As violence escalates — from the Israel-Iran conflict now drawing in the United States, to the Russia–Ukraine war, and the protracted suffering in Palestine — we must ask: What kind of world are we building? What are we really paying for?” he said.
Her said billions are burned on missiles, destruction, and defense systems “while children die of hunger, communities drown in floodwaters, and our youth lose hope”.
“As people of faith, we must say it clearly: This is not only unsustainable — it is unjust. This is not simply a budgetary issue. It is a moral failure — a betrayal of human dignity and God’s call to peace,” Alminaza said.
He said ongoing conflicts show the loss of a sense of shared humanity, and sacred interconnectedness.
“We are all children of God, and yet we live as strangers, rivals, enemies. We are facing not just a geopolitical crisis, but a spiritual and systemic one,” he said.
This is not a time to remain on the sidelines Alminaza said.
“Let us not be passive observers, but prophetic disciples— rooted in prayer, guided by conscience, and in solidarity with the poor and the planet,’ he said.
“Let us reclaim our shared humanity. Let us sow the seeds of a new era — founded not on domination, but on justice, compassion, and peace,” Alminaza said.*