Quote of the Day

All men and women of good will are bound by the task of pursuing peace. I make a forceful and urgent call to the entire Catholic Church, and also to every Christian of other confessions, as well as to followers of every religion and to those brothers and sisters who do not believe: peace is a good which overcomes every barrier, because it belongs to all of humanity!

To this end, brothers and sisters, I have decided to proclaim for the whole Church on September 7th, the vigil of the birth of Mary, Queen of Peace, a day of fasting and prayer for peace in Syria, the Middle East, and throughout the world, and I also invite each person, including our fellow Christians, followers of other religions and all [people] of good will, to participate, in whatever way they can, in this initiative.

– Pope Francis

UPDATES: Pope Francis Leads Peace Prayer Vigil for Syria with 100,000 at St. Peter's Square – Nicole Winfield and Albert Aji (Associated Press via Huffington Post, September 7, 2013).
Francis, the Peace Pope – Stephen Schneck (Washington Post, September 9, 2013).

Related Off-site Links:
Peace on Earth Lives On in Pope Francis' Call for Nonviolent Solutions in Syria – Ken Butigan (Waging Nonviolence, September 6, 2013).
Military Solution in Syria Would Be Futile, Pope Tells G20 – Philip Pullella (Reuters via Yahoo! News, September 5, 2013).
Vatican Opposition To Syria Strikes Ramps Up, Pope Francis Calls For Peace Vigil – Nicole Winfield (Associated Press via Huffington Post, September 4, 2013).
Syrian Christians Say Western Attack Could Make Things Worse – John L. Allen Jr. (National Catholic Reporter, September 4, 2013).
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Joins Pope Francis’ Call for Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria – United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (September 3, 2013).
Francis Calls for Prayer and Fasting for Peace in Syria – Thomas C. Fox (National Catholic Reporter, September 1, 2013).
Pope Asks Other Faiths to Join Day of Prayer for Peace in Syria – Philip Pullella (Reuters, September 1, 2013).
Grand Mufti Desires to Be in St. Peter's with Pope to Pray for Peace in Syria: Muslims and Other Groups Join in Appeal – Agenzia Fides (September 2, 2013).
What Moral Theologians Are Saying About Getting Involved in Syria – Thomas Reese (National Catholic Reporter, September 3, 2013).
Syria: Six Alternatives to Military Strikes – Sarah van Gelder (Yes!, September 5, 2013).
A War the Pentagon Doesn’t Want – Robert H. Scales (Washington Post, September 5, 2013).
Respond, But How? What We're Missing on Syria – Jim Wallis (Sojourners, September 5, 2013).
Nine Ways the U.S. Has Fueled the Bloody Civil War in Syria – Nicolas J.S. Davies (AlterNet, September 4, 2013).
Eight Arguments Against Going to War with Syria – Stephen Zunes (TruthOut.org, September 4, 2013).
Calling on America to Find Power in Peace – Vina Kay (Opine Season, September 3, 2013).
The Press and the Syria Debate: Neither Neutral Nor Balanced – Conor Friedersdorf (The Atlantic, September 3, 2013).
Why Climate Change May Be Responsible for the Horrors in Syria – James Fallows (AlterNet, September 3, 2013).
Eight Reasons Not to Go to War with Syria – Peter Suderman (Reason.com, August 27, 2013).
Do's and Don'ts for Progressives Discussing Syria – Ramah Kudaimi (Mondoweiss.net, August 27, 2013).
The U.S. Does Have Non Military Options in Syria. Here Are Four of Them – Max Fisher (Washington Post, August 23, 2013).