“It is paramount that if true and lasting peace is to be achieved, nonviolent interventions be prioritized in order to safeguard the lives of Iranian women, children and men, and all residents of the region.”
-Charlene Howard, Executive Director of Pax Christi USA
No war with Iran
We speak clearly and without hesitation: we oppose the U.S.–Israeli military strikes on Iran and any further escalation toward war. What is unfolding is not simply a geopolitical conflict. It is a grave moral failure that will cause additional and unnecessary loss of life, exacerbate pre-existing regional instability and replace the opportunity for peaceful diplomacy. Reports of ongoing strikes, civilian casualties and escalating rhetoric, including public declarations that the United States will strike Iran “without apology” or “hesitation,” deepen our alarm.
War is not strength. War is not leadership. War is not peace. Our faith compels us to stand on the side of life. The Holy Father has warned of a “tragedy of enormous proportions” if violence continues. Catholic social teaching is unambiguous: war must always be a last resort, undertaken only under strict moral conditions. The United Nations Charter (Article 2(4)) prohibits the threat or use of force against sovereign nations except in legitimate self-defense or with Security Council authorization. Disregarding these principles undermines global stability and erodes the fragile architecture meant to prevent world war.
Catholic leaders across the globe, including the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Pax Christi International, have called for restraint, the protection of civilians and a return to negotiations. These voices remind us that nationalism must never eclipse conscience.
Join the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) for an international moment of prayer in the face of the escalating violence and war affecting numerous regions of the world. The prayer will be livestreamed Friday, March 6, at 9:30 a.m. EST. “As consecrated women religious, present in the most fragile contexts of society and close to those who suffer, we cannot remain silent in the face of a spiral of destruction that undermines human dignity and jeopardizes the future of new generations,” says Roxanne Schares, SSND, UISG executive secretary in UISG’s statement released March 4. See UISG’s full statement here.
Take action for peace in Iran with Care2 Petitions here, Common Cause here, Win Without War here and Progressive Democrats of America here.
Did you know?
One of the deadliest single events in the 2026 Iran conflict was the Feb. 28 airstrike on Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab, southern Iran, where most of the 165–180 people killed were young children.
This tragedy strikes especially close to home for us, as the IHM Sisters have long championed the education and empowerment of girls and women. The attack has been widely verified by international media and condemned as a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which protects schools and students from violence.
You may find the IHM Justice, Peace and Sustainability Office’s web materials useful for your committee work, presentations, mission units, ministry and other educational purposes. Be sure to check out our regularly updated online resources HERE.