March 21: Pray-in for a ceasefire (Washington, DC)

On Thursday, March 21, 1-2pm Eastern, Pax Christi USA, the Franciscan Action Network, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team, and other participants in the Lenten Ceasefire Campaign will hold a prayer service and public witness on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

The event will start at the Methodist Building, 100 Maryland Avenue NE, with a nonviolent action to follow.

>>Use this link to let us know if you plan to attend.

The crisis in Gaza and pending full invasion of Rafah demands immediate public action and witness. In addition to the 31,000 killed in the war and people being killed seeking aid, Palestinians are now dying from starvation. (Read Kathy Kelly’s essay here.)

For Christians, nonviolent witness includes urging for a just peace, especially now as our Muslim family members enter their holy month of Ramadan.

All are welcome to join a public pray-in as part of an ongoing Lenten Ceasefire Campaign. We will offer a prayerful vigil with press invited, and then a nearby nonviolent witness action. We will raise our voices together, asking our Creator for guidance and strength as we urge those in power to do the courageous work of nonviolent peacemaking.

>>Use this link to let us know if you plan to attend.

We urge all parties to:

• Publicly call for a bilateral ceasefire to prevent the further loss of life.
• Support demilitarization rather than supplying additional military aid or arms to Israel.
• Focus on a release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners held without due process. 
• Support robust humanitarian assistance and restarting U.S. government funding to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees.
• Work diplomatically to end the siege on Gaza and end the occupation of the Palestinian Territory in order to address the root causes of the violence, accountability for harm, and move all parties toward a lasting, just peace that protects all human life and ensures long-term security and sustainability in the Middle East.

Sign up for campaign updates here.

Contact: Eli McCarthy, Franciscan Action Network, emccarthy@franciscanaction.org

Theory of change

Jewish and Muslim leaders have organized mass demonstrations, prayers, and risk-taking. If Christians visibly appeal in mass through prayer and risk-taking to President Biden and members of Congress with Christian commitments, we may deepen and shift their sensitivity toward incentivizing de-escalating steps and a sustaining ceasefire that will save lives, create space for genuine accountability, and illuminate our sacred dignity. This will create better conditions for addressing the root causes and a sustainable just peace.