In a letter to UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the Chair of the Bishops’ Conference Department for International Affairs, Bishop Declan Lang, has decried the slaughter unfolding in eastern Aleppo.
Following on from his statement on the targeting of civilians in the Syrian city, 22 November 2016, Bishop Lang pointed to the use of siege, chemical weapons and indiscriminate bombing as “grievous violations of human dignity”.
“The slaughter unfolding in Eastern Aleppo now presents a new level of violence and suffering which the entire international community has a duty to prevent,” wrote Bishop Lang. “Our concern is for every civilian affected by these atrocities.”
He then called on the Foreign Secretary to use diplomatic channels to bring about humanitarian relief:
“At this critical time I urge you to exert all of the UK’s diplomatic influence in establishing no fly zones, safe passage for humanitarian relief and ultimately a complete cessation of hostilities.
“While there are clearly immense political challenges in addressing this crisis, our common humanity compels us to act.”
Read Bishop Lang’s letter to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
