Catholic Bishop’s statement against an Iraq war
There’s some powerful stuff here. A few paragraphs that particularly impressed me.
Based on the facts that are known to us, we continue to find it difficult to justify the resort to war against Iraq, lacking clear and adequate evidence of an imminent attack of a grave nature.
The use of force must have “serious prospects for success” and “must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated”. We recognize that not taking military action could have its own negative consequences. We are concerned, however, that war against Iraq could have unpredictable consequences not only for Iraq but for peace and stability elsewhere in the Middle East.
In assessing whether “collateral damage” is proportionate, the lives of Iraqi men, women and children should be valued as we would the lives of members of our own family and citizens of our own country.
We pray for President Bush and other world leaders that they will find the will and the ways to step back from the brink of war with Iraq and work for a peace that is just and enduring. We urge them to work with others to fashion an effective global response to Iraq’s threats that recognizes legitimate self defense and conforms to traditional moral limits on the use of military force.