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World church leaders urge Mideast ceasefire: Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic faithful call for peace

Christian leaders representing millions of Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic faithful, along with councils of churches, are calling for an end to the large-scale violence in Lebanon and Israel.

“The escalating violence and regional dimension of the conflict is alarming,” said the coalition Churches for Middle East Peace in a July 20 letter to President Bush. “It is urgent that you call on all the parties to restrain from using force and, rather, to trust a diplomatic process.”