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I rejoice at the opportunity to offer my greetings and paternal blessings to you all, as we gather for our regular Fall meeting of the Archdiocese Council. Before we proceed though, I ask that we take a moment to bow our heads and pray for those whose lives have been lost over this past month in the Middle East. As we watch daily the horrors from afar, we must repeat the words of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew who said Enough is enough, enough blood has been shed! War is not a solution” We stand firm with His All-Holiness in calling for a peaceful solution, and for an end to the tragedies that are occurring. Please join me, my dear friends, in a moment of silence for all those who have passed during this struggle, and pray together with me for peace, in the Middle East and throughout the world.