A Pastoral Letter to the Members of the Military Ordinariate

My dear brothers and sisters,

On the 4th of October, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we remember a man whose life continues to speak powerfully to the Church and to our world. Eight hundred years after his death, his witness to peace remains especially meaningful for all of us connected with the Military Ordinariate.

Francis is remembered as a man of peace, but his peace was neither passive nor sentimental. In 1219, during the Fifth Crusade, he travelled to Egypt and sought an encounter with Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil, whose forces were opposing the Crusader army. 

Francis crossed the lines of conflict without an army or political authority. He went as a friar, with humility, courage, and a willingness to listen.

The meeting took place near Damietta, probably in the Sultan’s camp. Francis and the Sultan spoke with one another, and the encounter appears to have been marked by mutual respect. It did not end the Crusade or resolve the conflict between Christians and Muslims. Nor should we imagine that it produced an immediate political or military settlement. 

Yet something significant happened. Two human beings, divided by religion, culture, and war, encountered one another as persons. They did not simply see an enemy; they recognised someone worthy of respect.

The witness of St. Francis also speaks to conflicts much closer to home. Most of us will not be called to meet a sultan across the lines of war, but we may have to face someone with whom we are in dispute, someone who has hurt us, or someone from whom we have become estranged.

In such situations, the first step towards peace may be the courage to see the other person not simply through the lens of disagreement, but as a human being loved by God.

This does not mean ignoring what has happened or pretending that wounds do not matter. Peace requires truth. Reconciliation cannot be built upon denial, and forgiveness does not remove the need for justice or appropriate boundaries. 

Yet the Gospel invites us not to allow anger, hurt, or resentment to define the whole relationship or to have the final word.

Seeking peace begins with listening. It means speaking honestly but without hostility. Sometimes it requires an apology, the willingness to forgive, or the patience to allow trust to grow again. At other times, when reconciliation is not immediately possible, we can still refuse hatred and pray for the grace to desire the good of the other.

Christ is our peace. On the cross, he does not answer violence with hatred. He bears the wounds of our broken world and opens a path towards forgiveness and reconciliation. At every Eucharist, we receive his peace and are sent to become its instruments, beginning in the relationships entrusted to us.

Peace must therefore be pursued continually. It requires truth and justice, but also the courage to listen, to cross boundaries, and to refuse to let resentment have the final word.

I pray especially for all who serve, for your families, for those wounded by conflict, and for those entrusted with protecting peace. May Christ strengthen you in your duty, sustain you in moments of difficulty, and preserve your humanity amid the demands of service.

I pray that in our personal relationships we may have the courage to seek peace where there is division, to offer forgiveness where there has been hurt, and to take the first step towards reconciliation whenever that step is possible.

May St. Francis pray for us, and may Christ, the Prince of Peace, teach us to continue faithfully the work of reconciliation.

With every blessing,

+ Bishop Stuart Hall