(ANSA) - BELGRADE, SEP 23 - "Eighty years after the end of World War II, in a time increasingly torn by violent conflicts, we, the Churches of Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, raise our cry for peace and our appeal to every Christian community to be a protagonist of hope, vigilant and active in promoting and supporting paths of reconciliation." This is an excerpt from the Appeal for Peace of the Churches in Italy, Slovenia, and Croatia, signed this evening in Gorizia by Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Msgr. Andrej Saje, and Msgr. Kutleša, respectively. The appeal, issued from Gorizia, where the CEI Permanent Council is currently working, during a prayer vigil in Piazza Transalpina with the participation of young people from their respective countries, extends "to the entire Balkans and extends to unite, in a single embrace, the Holy Land, Ukraine, and all the other areas bloodied by war." "We cannot remain silent," the bishops say, "in the face of a dramatic increase in violence, the spread of inhumane acts, and the annihilation of cities and peoples. The cry coming from many parts of the world is heartbreaking and must be heard. "God desires peace," they add, "and we are its artisans. We express and embody this desire to cross borders and barriers in our daily lives; together, we find the strength, courage, and determination to break the cycle of resentment and violence. Looking beyond national borders—no longer lines of separation, but places of friendship and encounter between peoples—we see that national cultural and spiritual identities are blending into a higher, shared European heritage." (ANSA).