Archbishop Vincent Nichols spoke to William Crawley on Radio 4’s Sunday Program about Syria and the need for a peaceful resolution following a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace on Saturday 7 September.

On the program he said: “You cannot start military action without being absolutely clear and in these circumstances in the Middle East I think it should be ruled out totally.” He added that the region is “full of volatility” and that it has never been possible to have limited military action: “What military action has ever really been limited, it just escalates from one step to the next and I quite agree with Pope Francis when he speaks about the futility of seeking a military solution.” Click here to listen to the programme (39 minutes)

Parishes across the Diocese of Westminster prayed for peace, at Mass and before the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Francis led a prayer vigil with more than 100,000 people in St. Peter's Square, Rome. He had declared it a Day of Fasting and Prayer for Peace in Syria and throughout the world. There was a universal response to his request. During the Vigil Pope Francis said: "Look upon your brother’s sorrow – I think of the children: look upon these… look at the sorrow of your brother, stay your hand and do not add to it, rebuild the harmony that has been shattered; and all this achieved not by conflict but by encounter," he pleaded. "May the noise of weapons cease! War always marks the failure of peace, it is always a defeat for humanity. Let the words of Pope Paul VI resound again: 'No more one against the other, no more, never! … war never again, never again war!'"