Indy faith leaders call for prayers for peace in Israel-Hamas war
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Several Indianapolis faith leaders are calling upon the community to pray for peace in Israel-Hamas war.
“With God’s mercy, receive our prayers and help us to be agents of justice and mercy and reconciliation,” said The Very Rev. Gray Lesesne at Christ Cathedral Church.
Dozens of people came together at the Episcopalian church on Tuesday in prayer for peace as the war in Gaza and Israel enters another day.
The Rev. Andrew Holmes-Scanlon at Roberts Park United Methodist Church said, “To remind ourselves of the need for peace and all that is going on in the world, particularly, of course, what’s happening in Israel and Palestine, but there are other places in the world that need to hear the voice of peace.”
Faith leaders from Roberts Park United Methodist Church, Central Christian Church, and Christ Church Cathedral called for an end to violence.
They say it’s a moment to put politics and history aside and to focus on coming together for peace and unity.
“We need to be reminded that we need to be attentive to one another, to listen, and to share in conversation rather than to go to the violence that we see so often,” Holmes-Scanlon said.
The service continued with the tolling of the Christ Church Cathedral bell, with community members leaning on each other in silence.
“As we celebrate the liturgy today, the tolling of the bell is about a call and then a response — how are we going to respond to what we’ve heard and see,” Holmes-Scanlon said.
Some people tell us they are thankful for these types of conversations.
Jamall Hendricks, an Indianapolis resident, said, “It’s very important to have conversations about peace within the community because that’s one way to promote peace within the community, and it’s also a way with people with differences of opinion kind find a way to find common ground in certain issues.”
The Rev. Linda McCrae said, “May the blessing of God be over all the peoples throughout the world. Amen.”