wfn.org | ELCA Presiding Bishop's Statement on Iraq, U.N., U.S. Actions

[News News <NEWS@ELCA.ORG>]

ELCA NEWS SERVICE

November 26, 2002

ELCA PRESIDING BISHOP'S STATEMENT ON IRAQ, U.N., U.S. ACTIONS

Since the end of the Gulf War nearly 12 years ago, the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and a number of partners working for
peace in the Middle East have expressed concern about Iraq's weapons of
mass destruction and have supported a strict embargo on military-related
items.	The ELCA continues to support United Nations efforts to disarm
Iraq and, in relation to U.N. Security Council Resolution 687 that ended
the Gulf War, to reach "the goal of establishing in the Middle East a
zone free of weapons of mass destruction."

In recent months I have raised concerns, in public statements and in
private conversation with officials in the Bush Administration, about
the legitimacy of unilateral use of military force to control weapons of
mass destruction.  I welcome the unanimous vote in the U.N. Security
Council on Nov. 8 and the efforts of President Bush to seek an
international consensus on steps to ensure Iraqi disarmament.  Because
this church begins with a strong presumption against all war and
supports military action only as a last resort, it is our prayer that
Iraq will comply fully with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441, and
that this resolution will be a tool for avoiding war.

While the actions by the U.N. Security Council and the U.S. Congress are
helpful in the process of establishing legitimate authority for the use
of force, important issues remain.

The ELCA Church Council, through action at its November 2002 meeting,
welcomes the attention given by churches and others in this country to
invite a deeper moral deliberation regarding a potential war with Iraq.
I am mindful of the many messages which I receive from church leaders
around the world. I hear their deep concerns about the possibility of
war as a pre-emptive measure either to control the weapons of mass
destruction or for the overthrow of threatening regimes. They continue
to encourage me to raise questions about the impact of war on Iraqi
civilians and the potential destabilizing effects of a war within the
region. I especially hear their call that efforts to prevent terrorism
be considered in relation to the broader questions of human security,
especially poverty and economic sustainability. I am deeply moved and
encouraged by the promises of churches around the world to hold the U.S.
churches and the people of the United States in their prayers.

In accord with our Church Council action, we will continue to urge the
U.S. government to work with the international community to find
peaceful means to disarm Iraq, to pursue regional arms control
agreements and to work to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
-- -- --
  Links to ELCA and ecumenical statements and resources related to
Iraq are available through the Web site of the Lutheran Office for
Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the ELCA's federal public policy advocacy
office in Washington, D.C.  LOGA maintains a site at http://www.loga.org
on the Web.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html