wfn.org | Episcopalians: House of Bishops addresses possibility of war with Iraq

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

October 2, 2002

2002-225

Episcopalians: House of Bishops addresses possibility of war 
with Iraq

By James Solheim

(ENS) The possibility of war with Iraq was very much on the 
minds of bishops as they gathered in Cleveland for their interim 
meeting on the theme of reconciliation. In the closing minutes 
of the meeting on October 1, they unanimously endorsed a strong 
statement that will be sent to all members of Congress as the 
Senate begins debate on a resolution authorizing the president 
to use military force if Iraq doesn't submit to inspections.

"We deeply respect the seriousness of your responsibility to 
protect the lives of our citizens and, with you, we condemn the 
brutality of Saddam Hussein and his regime," the letter said. It 
quickly added, "Our faith requires us to strive always for 
justice and peace. We believe that restraint and the on-going 
commitment to international cooperation are the means toward 
peace that we all desire."

In arguing that "we do not believe that war with Iraq can be 
justified at this time," the letter pointed out that Iraq has 
not attacked the United States, "our nation has not exhausted 
all possibilities for a peaceful solution" nor has it 
"sufficiently garnered world support." The statement also 
stressed the "unintended consequences" of war, including 
"unacceptable civilian casualties."

The letter concluded that the bishops "do not support a 
decision to go to war without clear and convincing evidence of 
the need for us to defend ourselves against an imminent attack."

Costly work of reconciliation

In his sermon at Trinity Cathedral on Sunday, Presiding 
Bishop Frank T. Griswold said that the possibility of war raises 
deep questions of "what it means to be peacemakers, living as a 
reconciled community. How does shalom become the truth of 
what we are--and shall be?"

He said that "as a nation we are accustomed to waging war," 
and facing that possibility with Iraq it is important to ask, 
"How are we as a nation called to be an agent of reconciliation? 
As persons of faith we are called to wage reconciliation.to 
bring people to the deep place of shalom, that true peace 
that flows like a river from the heart of God."

Noting that how people speak to one another also shapes the 
response, Griswold decried the "harsh language" being used by 
the US government over the Iraq issue. "We must embody 
reconciliation, becoming the thing we preach because we are 
called to the costly and on-going work of reconciliation." 

While that doesn't mean "being passive in the face of evil, 
it does recognize that even the enemies of truth have a place in 
the heart of God." He also said that Americans "must ask what it 
is in us, as a nation, that provokes such strong reaction."

Spouses address Iraq issue

The possibility of war with Iraq was also a deep concern of 
the bishops' spouses who have been holding their own meeting in 
recent years.

In response to a presentation by the Rev. Joan Brown 
Campbell, former executive secretary of the National Council of 
Churches, on reconciliation in the world, several small group 
discussions looked at what a deeper understanding of 
reconciliation would mean in relationships with others around 
the world. The seed was planted when she told the group that 
"our government has walked us past reconciliation towards war." 
It was soon apparent that many of the spouses were ready to take 
some kind of action.

"Some of us concluded that acting is a vital part of 
reconciliation--that we had to do something," said Jamel 
Shimpfky of California. "It became obvious that we had to find a 
practical way of expressing our concerns," added Karen Chane of 
Washington, DC. "So Fred Quinn from Utah wrote a draft of a 
letter that could be sent to government leaders and it stirred 
considerable enthusiasm." 

"It provided us with an opportunity to speak out--as 
individuals living in community, not as an organization or even 
as representatives of our dioceses," added Phoebe Griswold, wife 
of the presiding bishop. "This action was possible because we as 
spouses have been strengthened by our sense of community." 

The letter, signed by 74 spouses, will be sent to the 
president and vice president, the secretaries of state and 
defense, and the national security adviser. It says:

"We are a group of spouses of Episcopal bishops from various 
parts of the country, deeply concerned for our nation. Our 
Christian gospel teaches us to actively seek reconciliation with 
our enemies. Peace is not a passive process or a byproduct of 
war, but the result of active engagement. We recognize the face 
and experience of evil and are committed to confronting it and 
working to eradicate it.

"As war clouds gather, we urge your administration to give 
the same commitment of energy and policy attention to 
peacemaking, through active consultation with our allies and 
through constructive use of the United Nations. We are committed 
to working for and finding yet another way so that Christians in 
America may unite with those of other faiths to actively build a 
world where, in the language of the Bible, the wolf may lie down 
with the lamb, and a little child shall lead them, and neither 
shall they make war anymore."

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--James Solheim is director of Episcopal News Service.