It wasn’t an unusual request from a church leader. Still, its significance stems from its context and its timing: a few hours after the overnight killing of Iran’s top military leader, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad.

“Welcome to the new year!” Bishop Stika wrote. “Congress and the President are playing with the emotions of the people of this nation. A divisive election year. North Korea is watching all this and now the assassination of the number 2 man in Iran. Prayers for the world during this time of unrest.”

Bishop Stika told Catholic News Service Jan. 6 that his tweet reflected a deep concern for uncertainty in today’s world, especially as tensions rise between the U.S. and Iran.

“It just seems it could spark something and that it could be very difficult to control the after-math,” he said.

“I think about all of the individuals I have known who have been harshly affect by being in wars. The PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder), lost limbs, trauma,” the bishop continued. “It concerns me it could be a dangerous thing. The uncertainty of this could blossom into something that could become horrific.”