Ceasefire NOW petition

Dear colleagues and friends,

Now that the season of Advent is approaching, we are keenly aware of the pain arising from the senseless war in the Holy Land, where Jesus was born. Simultaneously, we aspire to embody true Hope and express solidarity with conflicts worldwide, particularly those in the Holy Land today.

In the spirit of compassion and solidarity that defines Caritas Internationalis, I extend to you an urgent and heartfelt invitation to join a global effort advocating for an immediate ceasefire in the Holy Land. This initiative, led by Ceasefire Now, calls upon individuals and organisations to lend their voices to a cause that transcends borders and demands our collective attention now by signing a global petition.

In fact, today marks the end of the Ceasefire, prompting us to invite the entire Confederation to unite through this symbolic action and sign the #CeasefireNOW petition. This petition has already garnered support from Caritas Jerusalem, Caritas MONA, and Caritas Internationalis, as well as 788 organisations from over 80 countries and more than 980,000 individuals. Its purpose is to amplify the global call for an immediate ceasefire, aiming to protect and save lives.

The goal of this petition is to mobilise 2.2 million people globally, equivalent to the population of Palestinians living in Gaza. The petition urges all world leaders, the UN Security Council and actors on the ground to take action now to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.

Caritas Internationalis warmly invites all of you to join the #CeasefireNOW petition and help us reach 2.2 million signatures by:

• Sharing the following link with all your dioceses to sign the petition as a prominent individual or as an organisation: https://forms.gle/UMd1xZp8XALQcA9QA
• Sharing the following link to sign the petition as an individual: https://chng.it/SxNdmDBwCG
• Using the Digital Toolkit and the #CeaseFireNOW hashtag to amplify the message on social media https://community.caritas.org/intranet/documents/#list/16513

Please find the translated versions of the open letter in English, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Arabic, Turkish and Hebrew.   

As we approach the season of Advent, we hold onto hope, accompanying those who suffer globally, and particularly standing in solidarity with our colleagues in Caritas Jerusalem and Caritas MONA today.

Warm regards,

Alistair Dutton Secretary General of Caritas InternationalisPalazzo San CalistoV-00120 Vatican City Email: Dutton@Caritas.va Mobile:  +44 7795 176702Website: www.caritas.org