The Catholic bishops of England and Wales concluded a meeting in the
northern city of Leeds on Thursday with a call for a special day of
prayer for peace in the Middle East. In a statement issued at the end of their four day plenary meeting, the bishops say “Conscious of the civil war in Syria and its impact on neighbouring countries, as well as the continuing conflict in the Holy Land,” they are calling on Catholics to pray especially for peace in the region on December 4th, the feast of St John Damascene.
During the meeting, the bishops also discussed their ongoing response to the British government’s plans to legalise same-sex marriage and they heard from a survivor of human trafficking about the importance of the Catholic Church’s response to this modern form of slavery.