wfn.org | ACNS3356 War breaks out in Iraq

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3356     |     ACNS SPECIAL REPORT     |	  20 MARCH 2003

War breaks out in Iraq

Suddenly war becomes a reality. After months of negotiations with the UN
Security Council, America and its allies believe that they have exhausted
all possible avenues for achieving a peaceful resolution to the crisis with
Iraq. Countless prayers have been said worldwide, churches have remained
open, and people of faith and goodwill have united in an attempt to avert
war. But now that war has become a reality.

Many will feel deep concern for innocent civilians, isolation as a result of
their faith, anxiety for the numerous young soldiers engaged in combat and
overwhelming uncertainty as to what the repercussions are likely to be. The
world is holding its breath, and the call for unity and prayer has never
been more central in our struggle for peace.

The Rt Revd John Chane, Bishop of Washington, has said that he will minister
to the men and women of the armed forces who are engaged in this conflict by
calling on congregations to pray for them on a daily basis. He added that
prayer and supportive pastoral care for their families left behind must be
high on the agenda.

"I will call for all congregations in the diocese to keep their church doors
open, 24 hours a day, as places of sanctuary and prayer," he said. "I will
ask our clergy to be available for pastoral counselling and guidance during
these challenging times and to remind them that we must always pray for our
own, as well as those whom we might engage in combat.

"We are not at swords points with the Iraqi people and we need to be
constantly reminded of that truth. I will continue to work ecumenically and
at the inter-faith level with my colleagues, locally and nationally, to
continue to be a religious presence and witness to the current
Administration, reminding them that we have opposed this war and that it
must...be concluded immediately."

Christian leaders in Yorkshire, UK, have united to issue the following
statement:

"We greet the news that the government has committed our troops to war with
Iraq with a profound sense of sadness. We have questioned whether this
momentous course of action, without UN sanction, can achieve lasting peace
and justice in the region. But now our prayers must be that this war will be
over swiftly, with the minimum loss of life and that a lasting settlement
can be rapidly achieved in the region.

"Many families from our own area have family members engaged in the conflict
and we pray for their well-being and safety. We also urge Christians to pray
for the safety of the innocent citizens of Iraq who will be caught up in the
conflict. We are deeply concerned about the effect of the conflict on
community relations here. We pray that dialogue and growing understanding
between people of all faiths can be strengthened as together we work for
peace."

The Anglican Archbishop of Ireland, Robin Eames, has said that war is the
ultimate failure. "War happens when dialogue, talks and human dealing
fails," he said. "It marks the failure of humanity to succeed in reaching
agreement by other means. History has taught us that lesson in Ireland. War
and violence are a judgement of failure in human relations. At this time we
pray that Ireland has learnt that lesson. But on the world scale we may well
wonder if the might of arms is once more being used because humanity has yet
to learn that the power of reasonable dealing with each other is mightier
than the sword.

"In our prayers we remember the leaders of the nations who are making grave
decisions which will affect the lives of millions: we remember all those
from this Province and nation who are serving in the Gulf: and we pray for
those who will carry the ultimate burden of suffering - the innocent men,
women and children who are the real 'poor of this world'.

"Even at this hour we pray that the message of peace with justice may
prevail on this earth."

The East Cape Provincial Council of Churches in the North Eastern Region of
South Africa has expressed their great concern regarding the determination
of President George Bush to go to war against Iraq. In a resolution passed
on 11 March they stated "George Bush and Tony Blair have not revealed to the
world why this war is necessary. Certainly Saddam Hussein is a nasty piece
of work, but the world has lived with him for 25 years. Why now the sudden
need to attack? There are many nations that have weapons of mass
destruction.

"We believe the United States should spend money on overcoming the social
and environmental injustices of the world, instead of armaments."

The Vatican warned Mr Bush and his allies that they would not be acting with
the Pope's blessing. The Vatican spokesman, Joaquin Navarro-Valls, said,
"Those who decide that all peaceful means that international law makes
available are exhausted assume a grave responsibility before God, their
conscience and history."

The concept of a 'just war' has sometimes been referred to as a viable
possibility for justifying force. The bishops of the Church in Wales have
announced that the case for war remains far from convincing and said, "In
Christian terms, the moral case for a just war are very strict indeed."

They identified the principles of a just war as being:

- There must be a just cause

- The use of force is the only way left of effecting change

- There must be a properly constituted authority to pursue the war

- There must be a clear and achievable goal

- The amount of force used must be no more than is strictly necessary

- Reconciliation and the establishing of a just peace must be the ultimate
end of the conflict and not conquest and subjugation

Following a BBC debate on just war the Rt Revd David Beetge, Anglican bishop
of the Highveld diocese in Africa, said in a statement, "A recent interview
suggested that the present military build-up is the largest in the history
of mankind and a report has suggested that up to 500,000 civilians could be
killed in the conflict.

"The just war theory has, as one of its conditions, the concept of
proportionality. This concept emphasises the need for any conflict to be
waged between soldier and soldier and not against civilians, cities or
regions. Furthermore, the acknowledgement that the military build-up is the
largest in history is another breach of this condition of proportionality."

The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Dr Rowan Williams, has said that
"war with Iraq is unacceptable and will spark a humanitarian catastrophe
both there and in the rest of the region."

In a statement from the Most Revd Frank T Griswold, presiding bishop of
ECUSA, he said, "Joined by leaders and members of other faith communities, I
have supported the alternatives to war that would both address the
legitimate concerns of our nation and recognise that war at this point is
not the solution....I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that
decisions made now will affect out global future for good or ill."

___________________________________________________________________

For details about the Enthronement of the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury,
the Most Revd Rowan D Williams, visit http://www.anglicancommunion.org/

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