Canadian Churches speak out on Iraq
Letter to the Prime Minister (26 March 2003)
Media Release(4 March 2003)
A public plea for peace (1 March 2003)
Letter to the Prime Minister (28 February 2003)
Letter to the Prime Minister (20 December 2002)
Media Release (25 September 2002)
Letter to the Prime Minister (25 September 2002)
See also Letter to President Bush (25 September 2002)
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
26 March 2003
Dear Prime Minister Jean Chrétien,
The Canadian Churches commend you and your government for remaining firm on your stand, as repeated March 17 in the House of Commons, that while Canada insists that Iraq should fully abide by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, Canada will not participate in a war on Iraq led by the United States.
Now that the war has started, we cannot but deplore the fact that the United States did not abide by international law and acted in spite of the United Nations’ opposition to war. Canada’s commitment to uphold international law is well reputed and we are proud of the fact that you have maintained a coherent position under such circumstances.
As in our previous letters of September 25th, December 20th, and February 28th, we would like to emphasize again the fervent wish of Canadian Churches - indeed most Canadians - for a peaceful resolution of the current conflict, which has now evolved into a full-blown war. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.
Our prayers will continue to be with you as you lead Canada during this period of tension and conflict in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
Media Release
Canadian church leaders say NO to war on Iraq and YES to building peace
March 4, 2003
Eighteen church leaders, representing a broad spectrum of Canadian denominations, have marked the beginning of the Lenten season by writing to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien urging alternatives to war in Iraq.
For Christian churches this week begins the season of prayer and penitence in which they remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ at the hands of violence. In their letter, sent February 28, 2003, the church leaders and chairs of two ecumenical organizations say they "… fear that the combination of the Iraqi government's intransigence and the war preparations of the American and British governments will inflict deadly consequences on the people of Iraq".
Their letter commends the Canadian government for the ways in which it has continued to seek and support alternatives to war and for its insistence that decision making in this crisis must be collective and not unilateral. It urges the Prime Minister to remind the international community to remember first the safety and well-being of the people of Iraq.
The letter is signed by such church leaders as Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese, The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous, Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, Bishop Jacques Berthelet, President, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator of The United Church of Canada and 13 other church leaders.
Canadian churches are appealing to Prime Minister Chrétien and the UN Security Council "to say an unambiguous 'no' to war on Iraq, and a clear 'yes' to building on the current process.
"To sweep aside hard-won achievements in favour of war would be a travesty of justice and a tragedy of frightening proportions."
The letter is the third from church leaders to the Prime Minister on the issue of the looming war in Iraq since September.
Church leaders are encouraged that more than 10,000 Canadians have signed the "Prepare for Peace in Iraq" statement on the Project Ploughshares website (www.ploughshares.ca). The signatures are forwarded to the Prime Minister each Monday.
In the spirit of the letter and to mark this Lenten season of prayer, the Canadian Council of Churches is sponsoring an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace Saturday, March 22, 2003, 6:30 p.m. at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Cathedral, 65 Bond Street (at Shuter, near Dundas and Yonge) Toronto, Ontario. Everyone is welcome to this time of prayer and light in the face of darkness.
The Canadian Council of Churches is the largest ecumenical organization in Canada.
For further information:
The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton
General Secretary
The Canadian Council of Churches
(416) 972-9494, x22
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous
Executive Minister
Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
(416) 622-8600
The Rev. Fr. Messale Engeda
Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
(416) 781-4802
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy,
Moderator
The United Church of Canada
(416) 231-5931
The Canadian Council of Churches, many of its member churches, partner organizations, congregations of men and women religious and justice and peace organizations published a half-page ad in the Globe and Mail newspaper on March 1, 2003. They called on "all citizens and all governments: Say NO to war on Iraq, YES to building peace." Click here to view the ad.
February 28, 2003
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Chrétien:
We write as Christian leaders in many communities in Canada to encourage you in the pursuit of peace in relation to the crisis over Iraq. We pray with people around the world for the human community, that God will make us all instruments of peace. We pray with the psalmist for God’s promise, that leaders will emerge in whose days justice shall flourish, and peace, till the moon fails (Psalm 72:7).
We share the concern of millions at the relentless efforts to mobilize the world for another war in the vain hope that it will bring peace and security. We fear that the combination of the Iraqi government’s intransigence and the war preparations of the American and British governments will inflict deadly consequences on the people of Iraq. We implore you to redouble Canada’s efforts to prevent this war.
We are aware that the regime of Saddam Hussein has led Iraq on paths of violence and defiance of international standards that protect human rights and that prohibit the acquisition and use of weapons of mass destruction. This must be condemned, as must the readiness of Washington and London to resort to violence. Neither are means to sustainable disarmament and peace.
Despite the gravity of this situation, we see hope as people the world over express grave concern about a potential war and its devastation. We are encouraged by the tens of thousands of Canadians who have endorsed “Prepare for Peace in Iraq”, the Canadian churches’ statement that declares, “war is not the answer!” Your office has received weekly deliveries of the names of people who have signed this statement.
We are grateful that you and your government continue to seek and support alternatives to war and to insist that decision making in this crisis must be collective, not unilateral, through the United Nations. Still, we must impress upon you at this time our firm belief that war on Iraq, even with explicit Security Council authorization, would be the worst option.
In our letter of September 25, 2002, we strongly urged attention to alternatives, especially a renewal of the inspections process. We are therefore enormously heartened that, through the United Nations, the inspections process has been renewed. It represents an important part of a credible strategy and alternative to war. It appears to be making a significant impact.
We understand and respect the concern about Iraq’s possible possession of weapons of mass destruction and whether it has, or might acquire, the means to use them against its own people and its neighbours. However, as long as inspectors are active in Iraq it will not be possible for the regime to undertake such activities without being detected.
In as much as there is a continuing danger that chemical and biological weapons which are not accounted for could be diverted to non-state terrorist organizations, it must be recognized that such a danger would increase, not decrease, in the context of the unanticipated consequences of war.
While the inspections process is not perfect, it is now fulfilling the most urgent requirement: providing credible assurance to the international community that there is not an imminent threat of Iraqi use of weapons of mass destruction.
In light of this, there is no justification for choosing war when an alternative to the use of military force is already working to provide verification and containment.
The need now is to continue with the inspections and to set up the “Ongoing Monitoring and Verification” process as mandated by the UN Security Council. This must remain in place until all weapons of mass destruction have been accounted for and destroyed, until the Government of Iraq permanently disavows such weapons, and until the world community is confident that its disavowal is credible.
We ask you to remind the international community to remember first the safety and well-being of the people of Iraq. They have suffered much under the present regime. The rest of the world, as the churches’ joint statement puts it, must support them with new vigour in their struggle to free themselves from an oppressive regime, “not with more bombs and missiles, but with sustained moral, political and material support” toward the achievement of human rights, peace and security.
Therefore, we again appeal to you and the UN Security Council to say an unambiguous “no” to war on Iraq, and a clear “yes” to building on the current process. To sweep aside hard won achievements in favour of war would be a travesty of justice and a tragedy of frightening proportions.
We recognize that this is a time of immense pressure and reflection for you and your colleagues. Please be assured of our continuing prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate
The Anglican Church of Canada
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous, Executive Minister
Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
The Right Rev. Maurice Hicks, General Superintendent
British Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil,
President, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
John Calder, Clerk
Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
The Rev. Fr. Messale Engeda, Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
The Rev. Raymond Schultz, National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Don Peters, Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
Henry Krause, Moderator
Mennonite Church Canada
The Right Rev. Seraphim, Bishop of Ottawa and Canada
Orthodox Church in America
The Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic
Polish National Catholic Church of Canada
The Rev. J. Mark Lewis, Moderator, 128th General Assembly
The Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Rev. Siebrand Wilts, Stated Clerk
Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak), Primate
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator
United Church of Canada
The Rev. William F. Veenstra, Canadian Ministries Director
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Rev. F. Thomas Rutherford, Regional Minister
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada
Ecumenical agencies:
Jane Orion Smith, Chair, Board of Directors
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Moira Hutchinson, Chair, Board of Directors
Project Ploughshares
December 20, 2002
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
Thank you for your letter of October 15, 2002, responding to the September 25, 2002 letter from Canadian church leaders regarding the situation in Iraq. We are pleased that you have again confirmed the Government’s commitment to a resolution of the Iraq crisis within the framework of international law.
We are also grateful that UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors are now in Iraq and we pray that the Government of Iraq will meet its full responsibility to cooperate with the inspections, to destroy any and all weapons of mass destruction, and to provide verifiable assurances that it eschews all pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and that possible dual-use materials are not diverted for weapons purposes.
In addition to the importance of Iraq’s cooperation, the successful resolution of this issue requires an inspections process that is thorough and fair, a reasonable understanding of what constitutes a material breach of that process, and an assurance that a satisfactory inspections process will lead to the immediate lifting of sanctions, as provided for in UN resolutions.
Canada has significant expertise related to inspections processes and we urge that your Government closely monitor the work of UNMOVIC and the IAEA to ensure a fair and constructive process and outcome.
We also remind you that in the event that the United Nations Security Council at some point finds Iraq in material breach of resolution 1441, it does not follow that war is a just or effective remedy. As the church leaders said in their earlier letter, “another Gulf War now would be wrong, first of all because of the suffering such a war would inflict on the population of Iraq people who have already suffered so bitterly. Our Christian colleagues in that region have urged us to educate our own societies about how crushing the international sanctions have been...[and] have been pleading with us to speak against the threat of another war.”
The Security Council has a UN Charter obligation to seek alternatives to war. The United Nations was formed to “lift the scourge of war,” not to elevate war into a routine enforcement mechanism, and we urge Canada to speak publicly and forcefully against the resort to further war on Iraq.
The long-term stability of the Middle East region requires that all states within the region provide full, verifiable disclosure that they do not possess weapons of mass destruction and are not attempting to acquire them.
Repeated calls within the United Nations that the Middle East be a nuclear-weapon-free zone and a region free of all weapons of mass destruction have not been heeded, and we urge your Government to take steps to bring this issue to the urgent attention of the international community.
Canadian churches will continue to monitor the situation in Iraq, to call for alternatives to war, and to pray that you and other world leaders are granted the courage and wisdom to find and walk the path to peace.
Sincerely,
Karen Hamilton (The Rev. Dr.)
General Secretary
The Canadian Council of Churches
Pat Steenberg
Executive Director
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Ernie Regehr
Executive Director
Project Ploughshares
September 25, 2002
Canadian churches cry NO to Iraq war, urge PM to pursue “genuine” negotiation and resist pressures for invasion
TORONTO–Sixteen prominent church leaders – representing a broad spectrum of Canadian church denominations, as well as the ecumenical peace coalition Project Ploughshares and the inter-church justice coalition KAIROS – joined together to send an urgent message to Jean Chrétien today, imploring the Prime Minister to resist growing "pressure" in favour of "a new invasion of Iraq".
"This is a time for intense diplomacy and face-to-face negotiations, not for missiles and high-altitude bombing. This is especially a time for multilateralism," states a joint letter signed by Bishop Jacques Berthelet, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archdeacon Jim Boyles, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator of the United Church of Canada, along with leaders of fifteen other churches and church coalitions.
The churches warn against supporting any United Nations resolution that makes it virtually impossible for Iraq to comply with demands. Such a UN resolution "would be a mere cover for an invasion that might be multinational but would still be unjust", states the letter.
The Canadian church leaders explain that their decision to send a joint letter to the Prime Minister was prompted by pleas from colleagues in the Middle East to "speak and act against the threat of another war".
Several Canadian churches have a long and close relationship with the Middle East Council of Churches, which includes churches in Iraq. Together they have been vocal in denouncing the devastating impact of eleven years of international sanctions against Iraq, sanctions they say have not weakened the oppressive grip of the Saddam Hussein regime but instead hurt ordinary and innocent Iraqi civilians. Canadian church personnel are also engaged in humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq.
Acknowledging that many in Iraq "long and pray for a regime change", the church leaders emphasize it is "all the more striking" that "voices from that country and region urge us not to bring about a new regime by means of a violent invasion from outside".
Instead the church leaders call on Prime Minister Chrétien to ensure the Canadian government supports a negotiated, peace-building approach "consistent with international law and taking the common good of Iraq's people as its starting point".
"We do not understand how a cataclysm can be averted without genuine negotiation," continue the church leaders. "Furthermore, negotiations cannot open minds and possibilities if the universe is divided beforehand into two camps, the good and the evil, with 'our' side being only good. Such an approach, besides running counter to a Christian sense of sin and grace, reveals an arrogance which can only deepen anger and hostility."
The church leaders conclude by urging the Prime Minister to press all countries to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions – since "Iraq is not the only country that stands in violation of them" – and to reconsider onerous compensation obligations imposed on Iraq after the Gulf War.
"There must be economic hope for Iraqi society, for without it Iraqis will not recover the energy they will need to rebuild their country – nor to change their government," counsel the church leaders. "The world should not repeat the errors of the settlement imposed on Germany after World War I."
The churches' letter to Prime Minister Chrétien is signed by:
Kathy Price, Communications Coordinator, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives: 416-463-5312, ext. 223
OR
Janet Somerville, General Secretary, Canadian Council of Churches: 416-972-9494 ext. 22
September 25, 2002
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Chrétien:
In these past months and weeks, strong momentum has been built up in favour of a new invasion of Iraq. The pressure to resort to war continues in spite of the efforts of so many, including yourself. War-drums threaten to drown out both law and compassion, and people are tempted to conclude that another Gulf War is now inevitable.
We write, as leaders in many Christian communities in Canada, to cry NO to such a war. This is a time for intense diplomacy and face-to-face negotiations, not for missiles and high-altitude bombing. This is especially a time for multilateralism: the world needs wisdom from every region if we are to grasp the full consequences of the choices confronting us. Yes, the world is faced with a dangerous situation, in Iraq and in the Middle East region as a whole. But non-military, peace-building approaches to those grave problems are thinkable and possible—and they are infinitely preferable to war.
You have rightly insisted, Mr. Prime Minister, that evidence of Iraq’s possession of and intent to use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons must be clear before a prudent international intervention can be shaped and carried out through the United Nations. In a situation of acute concern but also of uncertainty about the facts on the ground, international inspection of the arms situation in Iraq is the appropriate intervention on which to insist. A United Nations resolution detailing the means, the time-lines and the consequences of refusal could be helpful, as long as it does not set the bar so high as to make it virtually impossible for Iraq to comply with its demands. If it were to do so, a UN resolution would be a mere cover for an invasion that might be multinational but would still be unjust.
The Government of Iraq has formally invited a United Nations inspection team to return. There are those who respond that this invitation is a meaningless ploy, and that “we are not in the business of negotiating with Saddam Hussein.” We do not understand how a cataclysm can be averted without genuine negotiation. Unless the parties to a conflict engage in dialogue, the paths to peace remain blocked. Furthermore, negotiations cannot open minds and possibilities if the universe is divided beforehand into two camps, the good and the evil, with “our” side being only good. Such an approach, besides running counter to a Christian sense of sin and grace, reveals an arrogance which can only deepen anger and hostility. We urge the Government of Canada to stay in dialogue with all relevant parties, and to insist on treating all as fellow human beings with human dignity and human rights.
Another Gulf War now would be wrong, first of all because of the suffering such a war would inflict on the population of Iraq—people who have already suffered so bitterly. Our Christian colleagues in that region have urged us to educate our own societies about how crushing the international sanctions have been for the health, education, livelihoods and hope of most Iraqi men, women and (especially) children. Recently, those same colleagues have been pleading with us to speak and act against the threat of another war.
“When one part of the body suffers, all suffer with it.” That maxim is biblical language, but on another level it is simple human experience. We in the West will be judged, by future generations and by the Creator of all, for the damage we have been willing to inflict in the name of security. The past eleven years of sanctions is a case in point. Those sanctions did not in fact weaken the oppressive grip of the Saddam Hussein regime. In their impact on civilian life, they hurt the wrong people—ordinary and innocent Iraqis. The international community has already delayed far too long in acting against the harm being done in its name.
Yes, the suffering of Iraqis lies also at the feet of President Saddam Hussein and his government. That regime’s bellicose and ruthless policies began draining the life-blood of Iraqis long before international sanctions were in place. There is no doubt that many residents of Iraq long and pray for a “regime change”. All the more striking, then, is the strength with which voices from that country and region urge us not to bring about a new regime by means of a violent invasion from outside.
We urge the Government of Canada not to lose confidence that a peace-building approach to the problem of Iraq, consistent with international law and taking the common good of Iraq’s people as its starting point, can be developed, can be fruitful, and can prevail over war-fatalism in international negotiations.
Such an approach should press all countries for compliance with international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions. Iraq is not the only country that stands in violation of them. Also, it should aim at ridding the whole region, ultimately, of weapons of mass destruction. It should provide for control of conventional armaments as well, staunching the flood of arms to neighbouring countries. A new approach should also reconsider the compensation obligations imposed on Iraq after the Gulf War, and take into account Iraq’s debt load. There must be economic hope for Iraqi society, for without it Iraqis will not recover the energy they will need to rebuild their country—nor to change their government. The world should not repeat the errors of the settlement imposed on Germany after World War I.
It is more than evident that peace in Iraq and in the Middle East region is a spectacularly difficult goal to reach. Many are tempted to give in to despair; but many, too, are those who persist as peacemakers. It is the peacemakers especially who are called children of God. The world was created for peace, not for war. That is an affirmation of faith. To live by it—to act politically on the truth of it—is fruitful beyond all calculation.
The psalm (72) from which Canada took its national motto (A mari usque ad mare) recognizes the reality of struggle and conflict in a world where “the weak and the needy” must be delivered “from oppression and violence”. The psalm calls for a leader who brings peace, In his days justice shall flourish, and peace, till the moon fails...
May you and your colleagues, Mr. Chrétien, bear fruit in the noble work of peace building, and taste the blessings that are reserved for peacemakers.
The following church leaders have chosen to sign this letter:
Archdeacon Jim Boyles
General Secretary, The Anglican Church of Canada
Archbishop Hovnan. Derderian
Primate, Armenian Orthodox Church, Canadian Diocese
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous
Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil
President, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
John Calder, Clerk
Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Rev. F. Tom Rutherford
Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada
The Rev. Messale Engeda, Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
Rev. Raymond Schultz
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Dan Nighswander
General Secretary, Mennonite Church Canada
The Right Rev. Seraphim
Bishop of Ottawa and Canada, Orthodox Church in America
The Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic
Polish National Catholic Church of Canada
The Rev. J. Mark Lewis
Moderator, 128th General Assembly, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Rev. Siebrand Wilts
Stated Clerk, Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada)
Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak)
Primate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy
Moderator, United Church of Canada
Ecumenical agencies:
Jane Orion Smith, Chair, Board of Directors
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Dr. Walter Pitman, O. Ont., O.C.
Chair, Board of Directors, Project Ploughshares
September 25, 2002
The Right Honourable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500-0001
U.S.A.
Mr President:
We write from Canada to plead with you, as fellow Christians and as neighbours in North America, not to choose the terrible path of war to solve the challenges presented to the world by the government of Iraq.
I write with the concurrence of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Council of Churches. We met together this September 11 and found, after praying for the peace of the world on that painful anniversary day, that the issue of peace for Iraq was burning on the mind of each church representative who was present. Hence this letter.
Mr President, the values you praised when you spoke on television on the evening of September 11, 2002, are of compelling importance within a Christian understanding of life. As such, they are in no way nationally bounded. The One who gave life to your fellow citizens who perished one year ago is the very One who has also given life and human dignity to every child, every woman, every man. The Iraqis, too, are the neighbours whom we must love even as we love ourselves. Their lives are as sacred, as our own. Indeed, the people of Iraq cannot bear another invasion. They have suffered too much already.
The Gulf War of twelve years ago was terrible in the blood it spilled. In the years of internationally imposed sanctions since the war, it is the children and the ordinary women and men of Iraq who suffered the worst consequences of those sanctions. According to the United Nations’ own estimates, one million of them have died of causes related to the sanctions. The leaders of the governing regime have not been the ones to suffer hunger, sickness without adequate health care, the destruction of livelihoods, and the loss of hope for a whole generation of young people. The people of Iraq, in their millions, have born the deadly burden and have suffered enough.
We agree with the convictions expressed by the spokesperson for the General Board of Church and Society, General Secretary Jim Winkler of your own denomination, the United Methodist Church. We agree with his statement of August 30 when it affirms that the question of weapons inspection non-compliance by Iraq "should be a matter for the United Nations." We agree that "a pre-emptive war represents a major and dangerous change in US foreign policy, setting a terrible precedent for other nations." Although the regime of Saddam Hussein has indeed "been a highly negative influence in international and regional affairs", there are credible options other than another military invasion for dealing with the threats it presents. Therefore we affirm with your own Church the conclusion that "the path on which the President seeks to embark is counter to the teaching of Jesus...and is one that threatens the rule of law as a fundamental principle of democracy."
For the sake of the people of Iraq who have already suffered so much, for the sake of your own people who would be targeted even more ruthlessly by extremists if your government were violently to invade Iraq, for the sake of the stability of the Middle East region and of the whole world, we beg you, Mr. President, to seek peace by means of peace.
Yours truly,
+André Vallée, Bishop
President, Canadian Council of Churches
Media Release(4 March 2003)
A public plea for peace (1 March 2003)
Letter to the Prime Minister (28 February 2003)
Letter to the Prime Minister (20 December 2002)
Media Release (25 September 2002)
Letter to the Prime Minister (25 September 2002)
See also Letter to President Bush (25 September 2002)
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
26 March 2003
Dear Prime Minister Jean Chrétien,
The Canadian Churches commend you and your government for remaining firm on your stand, as repeated March 17 in the House of Commons, that while Canada insists that Iraq should fully abide by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, Canada will not participate in a war on Iraq led by the United States.
Now that the war has started, we cannot but deplore the fact that the United States did not abide by international law and acted in spite of the United Nations’ opposition to war. Canada’s commitment to uphold international law is well reputed and we are proud of the fact that you have maintained a coherent position under such circumstances.
As in our previous letters of September 25th, December 20th, and February 28th, we would like to emphasize again the fervent wish of Canadian Churches - indeed most Canadians - for a peaceful resolution of the current conflict, which has now evolved into a full-blown war. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.
Our prayers will continue to be with you as you lead Canada during this period of tension and conflict in the Middle East.
Sincerely,
|
Bishop André Vallée President The Canadian Council of Churches |
The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton General Secretary The Canadian Council of Churches |
|
Moira Hutchinson Chair, Project Ploughshares Board Project Ploughshares |
Ernie Regehr Executive Director Project Ploughshares |
|
Jane Orion Smith Chair of the Kairos Board KAIROS |
Pat Steenberg Executive Director KAIROS |
Media Release
Canadian church leaders say NO to war on Iraq and YES to building peace
March 4, 2003
Eighteen church leaders, representing a broad spectrum of Canadian denominations, have marked the beginning of the Lenten season by writing to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien urging alternatives to war in Iraq.
For Christian churches this week begins the season of prayer and penitence in which they remember the suffering and death of Jesus Christ at the hands of violence. In their letter, sent February 28, 2003, the church leaders and chairs of two ecumenical organizations say they "… fear that the combination of the Iraqi government's intransigence and the war preparations of the American and British governments will inflict deadly consequences on the people of Iraq".
Their letter commends the Canadian government for the ways in which it has continued to seek and support alternatives to war and for its insistence that decision making in this crisis must be collective and not unilateral. It urges the Prime Minister to remind the international community to remember first the safety and well-being of the people of Iraq.
The letter is signed by such church leaders as Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese, The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous, Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, Bishop Jacques Berthelet, President, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator of The United Church of Canada and 13 other church leaders.
Canadian churches are appealing to Prime Minister Chrétien and the UN Security Council "to say an unambiguous 'no' to war on Iraq, and a clear 'yes' to building on the current process.
"To sweep aside hard-won achievements in favour of war would be a travesty of justice and a tragedy of frightening proportions."
The letter is the third from church leaders to the Prime Minister on the issue of the looming war in Iraq since September.
Church leaders are encouraged that more than 10,000 Canadians have signed the "Prepare for Peace in Iraq" statement on the Project Ploughshares website (www.ploughshares.ca). The signatures are forwarded to the Prime Minister each Monday.
In the spirit of the letter and to mark this Lenten season of prayer, the Canadian Council of Churches is sponsoring an ecumenical prayer vigil for peace Saturday, March 22, 2003, 6:30 p.m. at St. Michael's Roman Catholic Cathedral, 65 Bond Street (at Shuter, near Dundas and Yonge) Toronto, Ontario. Everyone is welcome to this time of prayer and light in the face of darkness.
The Canadian Council of Churches is the largest ecumenical organization in Canada.
For further information:
The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton
General Secretary
The Canadian Council of Churches
(416) 972-9494, x22
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous
Executive Minister
Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
(416) 622-8600
The Rev. Fr. Messale Engeda
Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
(416) 781-4802
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy,
Moderator
The United Church of Canada
(416) 231-5931
The Canadian Council of Churches, many of its member churches, partner organizations, congregations of men and women religious and justice and peace organizations published a half-page ad in the Globe and Mail newspaper on March 1, 2003. They called on "all citizens and all governments: Say NO to war on Iraq, YES to building peace." Click here to view the ad.
February 28, 2003
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Chrétien:
We write as Christian leaders in many communities in Canada to encourage you in the pursuit of peace in relation to the crisis over Iraq. We pray with people around the world for the human community, that God will make us all instruments of peace. We pray with the psalmist for God’s promise, that leaders will emerge in whose days justice shall flourish, and peace, till the moon fails (Psalm 72:7).
We share the concern of millions at the relentless efforts to mobilize the world for another war in the vain hope that it will bring peace and security. We fear that the combination of the Iraqi government’s intransigence and the war preparations of the American and British governments will inflict deadly consequences on the people of Iraq. We implore you to redouble Canada’s efforts to prevent this war.
We are aware that the regime of Saddam Hussein has led Iraq on paths of violence and defiance of international standards that protect human rights and that prohibit the acquisition and use of weapons of mass destruction. This must be condemned, as must the readiness of Washington and London to resort to violence. Neither are means to sustainable disarmament and peace.
Despite the gravity of this situation, we see hope as people the world over express grave concern about a potential war and its devastation. We are encouraged by the tens of thousands of Canadians who have endorsed “Prepare for Peace in Iraq”, the Canadian churches’ statement that declares, “war is not the answer!” Your office has received weekly deliveries of the names of people who have signed this statement.
We are grateful that you and your government continue to seek and support alternatives to war and to insist that decision making in this crisis must be collective, not unilateral, through the United Nations. Still, we must impress upon you at this time our firm belief that war on Iraq, even with explicit Security Council authorization, would be the worst option.
In our letter of September 25, 2002, we strongly urged attention to alternatives, especially a renewal of the inspections process. We are therefore enormously heartened that, through the United Nations, the inspections process has been renewed. It represents an important part of a credible strategy and alternative to war. It appears to be making a significant impact.
We understand and respect the concern about Iraq’s possible possession of weapons of mass destruction and whether it has, or might acquire, the means to use them against its own people and its neighbours. However, as long as inspectors are active in Iraq it will not be possible for the regime to undertake such activities without being detected.
In as much as there is a continuing danger that chemical and biological weapons which are not accounted for could be diverted to non-state terrorist organizations, it must be recognized that such a danger would increase, not decrease, in the context of the unanticipated consequences of war.
While the inspections process is not perfect, it is now fulfilling the most urgent requirement: providing credible assurance to the international community that there is not an imminent threat of Iraqi use of weapons of mass destruction.
In light of this, there is no justification for choosing war when an alternative to the use of military force is already working to provide verification and containment.
The need now is to continue with the inspections and to set up the “Ongoing Monitoring and Verification” process as mandated by the UN Security Council. This must remain in place until all weapons of mass destruction have been accounted for and destroyed, until the Government of Iraq permanently disavows such weapons, and until the world community is confident that its disavowal is credible.
We ask you to remind the international community to remember first the safety and well-being of the people of Iraq. They have suffered much under the present regime. The rest of the world, as the churches’ joint statement puts it, must support them with new vigour in their struggle to free themselves from an oppressive regime, “not with more bombs and missiles, but with sustained moral, political and material support” toward the achievement of human rights, peace and security.
Therefore, we again appeal to you and the UN Security Council to say an unambiguous “no” to war on Iraq, and a clear “yes” to building on the current process. To sweep aside hard won achievements in favour of war would be a travesty of justice and a tragedy of frightening proportions.
We recognize that this is a time of immense pressure and reflection for you and your colleagues. Please be assured of our continuing prayers and support.
Sincerely,
Archbishop Michael Peers, Primate
The Anglican Church of Canada
Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church, Canadian Diocese
The Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous, Executive Minister
Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
The Right Rev. Maurice Hicks, General Superintendent
British Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil,
President, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
John Calder, Clerk
Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
The Rev. Fr. Messale Engeda, Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
The Rev. Raymond Schultz, National Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Don Peters, Executive Director
Mennonite Central Committee Canada
Henry Krause, Moderator
Mennonite Church Canada
The Right Rev. Seraphim, Bishop of Ottawa and Canada
Orthodox Church in America
The Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic
Polish National Catholic Church of Canada
The Rev. J. Mark Lewis, Moderator, 128th General Assembly
The Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Rev. Siebrand Wilts, Stated Clerk
Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak), Primate
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator
United Church of Canada
The Rev. William F. Veenstra, Canadian Ministries Director
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Rev. F. Thomas Rutherford, Regional Minister
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada
Ecumenical agencies:
Jane Orion Smith, Chair, Board of Directors
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Moira Hutchinson, Chair, Board of Directors
Project Ploughshares
December 20, 2002
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister,
Thank you for your letter of October 15, 2002, responding to the September 25, 2002 letter from Canadian church leaders regarding the situation in Iraq. We are pleased that you have again confirmed the Government’s commitment to a resolution of the Iraq crisis within the framework of international law.
We are also grateful that UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors are now in Iraq and we pray that the Government of Iraq will meet its full responsibility to cooperate with the inspections, to destroy any and all weapons of mass destruction, and to provide verifiable assurances that it eschews all pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and that possible dual-use materials are not diverted for weapons purposes.
In addition to the importance of Iraq’s cooperation, the successful resolution of this issue requires an inspections process that is thorough and fair, a reasonable understanding of what constitutes a material breach of that process, and an assurance that a satisfactory inspections process will lead to the immediate lifting of sanctions, as provided for in UN resolutions.
Canada has significant expertise related to inspections processes and we urge that your Government closely monitor the work of UNMOVIC and the IAEA to ensure a fair and constructive process and outcome.
We also remind you that in the event that the United Nations Security Council at some point finds Iraq in material breach of resolution 1441, it does not follow that war is a just or effective remedy. As the church leaders said in their earlier letter, “another Gulf War now would be wrong, first of all because of the suffering such a war would inflict on the population of Iraq people who have already suffered so bitterly. Our Christian colleagues in that region have urged us to educate our own societies about how crushing the international sanctions have been...[and] have been pleading with us to speak against the threat of another war.”
The Security Council has a UN Charter obligation to seek alternatives to war. The United Nations was formed to “lift the scourge of war,” not to elevate war into a routine enforcement mechanism, and we urge Canada to speak publicly and forcefully against the resort to further war on Iraq.
The long-term stability of the Middle East region requires that all states within the region provide full, verifiable disclosure that they do not possess weapons of mass destruction and are not attempting to acquire them.
Repeated calls within the United Nations that the Middle East be a nuclear-weapon-free zone and a region free of all weapons of mass destruction have not been heeded, and we urge your Government to take steps to bring this issue to the urgent attention of the international community.
Canadian churches will continue to monitor the situation in Iraq, to call for alternatives to war, and to pray that you and other world leaders are granted the courage and wisdom to find and walk the path to peace.
Sincerely,
Karen Hamilton (The Rev. Dr.)
General Secretary
The Canadian Council of Churches
Pat Steenberg
Executive Director
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Ernie Regehr
Executive Director
Project Ploughshares
MEDIA RELEASE
September 25, 2002
Canadian churches cry NO to Iraq war, urge PM to pursue “genuine” negotiation and resist pressures for invasion
TORONTO–Sixteen prominent church leaders – representing a broad spectrum of Canadian church denominations, as well as the ecumenical peace coalition Project Ploughshares and the inter-church justice coalition KAIROS – joined together to send an urgent message to Jean Chrétien today, imploring the Prime Minister to resist growing "pressure" in favour of "a new invasion of Iraq".
"This is a time for intense diplomacy and face-to-face negotiations, not for missiles and high-altitude bombing. This is especially a time for multilateralism," states a joint letter signed by Bishop Jacques Berthelet, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops; Archdeacon Jim Boyles, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada and the Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator of the United Church of Canada, along with leaders of fifteen other churches and church coalitions.
The churches warn against supporting any United Nations resolution that makes it virtually impossible for Iraq to comply with demands. Such a UN resolution "would be a mere cover for an invasion that might be multinational but would still be unjust", states the letter.
The Canadian church leaders explain that their decision to send a joint letter to the Prime Minister was prompted by pleas from colleagues in the Middle East to "speak and act against the threat of another war".
Several Canadian churches have a long and close relationship with the Middle East Council of Churches, which includes churches in Iraq. Together they have been vocal in denouncing the devastating impact of eleven years of international sanctions against Iraq, sanctions they say have not weakened the oppressive grip of the Saddam Hussein regime but instead hurt ordinary and innocent Iraqi civilians. Canadian church personnel are also engaged in humanitarian relief efforts in Iraq.
Acknowledging that many in Iraq "long and pray for a regime change", the church leaders emphasize it is "all the more striking" that "voices from that country and region urge us not to bring about a new regime by means of a violent invasion from outside".
Instead the church leaders call on Prime Minister Chrétien to ensure the Canadian government supports a negotiated, peace-building approach "consistent with international law and taking the common good of Iraq's people as its starting point".
"We do not understand how a cataclysm can be averted without genuine negotiation," continue the church leaders. "Furthermore, negotiations cannot open minds and possibilities if the universe is divided beforehand into two camps, the good and the evil, with 'our' side being only good. Such an approach, besides running counter to a Christian sense of sin and grace, reveals an arrogance which can only deepen anger and hostility."
The church leaders conclude by urging the Prime Minister to press all countries to comply with United Nations Security Council resolutions – since "Iraq is not the only country that stands in violation of them" – and to reconsider onerous compensation obligations imposed on Iraq after the Gulf War.
"There must be economic hope for Iraqi society, for without it Iraqis will not recover the energy they will need to rebuild their country – nor to change their government," counsel the church leaders. "The world should not repeat the errors of the settlement imposed on Germany after World War I."
The churches' letter to Prime Minister Chrétien is signed by:
- Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., President, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy, Moderator, United Church of Canada
- Archdeacon Jim Boyles, General Secretary, Anglican Church of Canada
- Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios, Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada)
- Rev. J. Mark Lewis, Moderator, 128th General Assembly, Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Rev. Raymond Schultz, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
- Dan Nighswander, General Secretary, Mennonite Church Canada
- Right Rev. Seraphim, Bishop of Ottawa and Canada, Orthodox Church in America
- John Calder, Clerk of the Canadian Yearly Meeting, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Rev. F. Tom Rutherford, Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada
- Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate, Armenian Orthodox Church, Canadian Diocese
- Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous, Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario & Quebec
- Rev. Messale Engeda, Presiding Priest, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
- Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic, Polish National Catholic Church of Canada
- Rev. Siebrand Wilts, Stated Clerk, Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
- Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak), Primate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
- Dr. Walter Pitman, O.Ont., O.C., Chair, Project Ploughshares
- Jane Orion Smith, Chair, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives.
Kathy Price, Communications Coordinator, KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives: 416-463-5312, ext. 223
OR
Janet Somerville, General Secretary, Canadian Council of Churches: 416-972-9494 ext. 22
Letter to the Prime Minister
September 25, 2002
The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2
Dear Prime Minister Chrétien:
In these past months and weeks, strong momentum has been built up in favour of a new invasion of Iraq. The pressure to resort to war continues in spite of the efforts of so many, including yourself. War-drums threaten to drown out both law and compassion, and people are tempted to conclude that another Gulf War is now inevitable.
We write, as leaders in many Christian communities in Canada, to cry NO to such a war. This is a time for intense diplomacy and face-to-face negotiations, not for missiles and high-altitude bombing. This is especially a time for multilateralism: the world needs wisdom from every region if we are to grasp the full consequences of the choices confronting us. Yes, the world is faced with a dangerous situation, in Iraq and in the Middle East region as a whole. But non-military, peace-building approaches to those grave problems are thinkable and possible—and they are infinitely preferable to war.
You have rightly insisted, Mr. Prime Minister, that evidence of Iraq’s possession of and intent to use biological, chemical or nuclear weapons must be clear before a prudent international intervention can be shaped and carried out through the United Nations. In a situation of acute concern but also of uncertainty about the facts on the ground, international inspection of the arms situation in Iraq is the appropriate intervention on which to insist. A United Nations resolution detailing the means, the time-lines and the consequences of refusal could be helpful, as long as it does not set the bar so high as to make it virtually impossible for Iraq to comply with its demands. If it were to do so, a UN resolution would be a mere cover for an invasion that might be multinational but would still be unjust.
The Government of Iraq has formally invited a United Nations inspection team to return. There are those who respond that this invitation is a meaningless ploy, and that “we are not in the business of negotiating with Saddam Hussein.” We do not understand how a cataclysm can be averted without genuine negotiation. Unless the parties to a conflict engage in dialogue, the paths to peace remain blocked. Furthermore, negotiations cannot open minds and possibilities if the universe is divided beforehand into two camps, the good and the evil, with “our” side being only good. Such an approach, besides running counter to a Christian sense of sin and grace, reveals an arrogance which can only deepen anger and hostility. We urge the Government of Canada to stay in dialogue with all relevant parties, and to insist on treating all as fellow human beings with human dignity and human rights.
Another Gulf War now would be wrong, first of all because of the suffering such a war would inflict on the population of Iraq—people who have already suffered so bitterly. Our Christian colleagues in that region have urged us to educate our own societies about how crushing the international sanctions have been for the health, education, livelihoods and hope of most Iraqi men, women and (especially) children. Recently, those same colleagues have been pleading with us to speak and act against the threat of another war.
“When one part of the body suffers, all suffer with it.” That maxim is biblical language, but on another level it is simple human experience. We in the West will be judged, by future generations and by the Creator of all, for the damage we have been willing to inflict in the name of security. The past eleven years of sanctions is a case in point. Those sanctions did not in fact weaken the oppressive grip of the Saddam Hussein regime. In their impact on civilian life, they hurt the wrong people—ordinary and innocent Iraqis. The international community has already delayed far too long in acting against the harm being done in its name.
Yes, the suffering of Iraqis lies also at the feet of President Saddam Hussein and his government. That regime’s bellicose and ruthless policies began draining the life-blood of Iraqis long before international sanctions were in place. There is no doubt that many residents of Iraq long and pray for a “regime change”. All the more striking, then, is the strength with which voices from that country and region urge us not to bring about a new regime by means of a violent invasion from outside.
We urge the Government of Canada not to lose confidence that a peace-building approach to the problem of Iraq, consistent with international law and taking the common good of Iraq’s people as its starting point, can be developed, can be fruitful, and can prevail over war-fatalism in international negotiations.
Such an approach should press all countries for compliance with international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions. Iraq is not the only country that stands in violation of them. Also, it should aim at ridding the whole region, ultimately, of weapons of mass destruction. It should provide for control of conventional armaments as well, staunching the flood of arms to neighbouring countries. A new approach should also reconsider the compensation obligations imposed on Iraq after the Gulf War, and take into account Iraq’s debt load. There must be economic hope for Iraqi society, for without it Iraqis will not recover the energy they will need to rebuild their country—nor to change their government. The world should not repeat the errors of the settlement imposed on Germany after World War I.
It is more than evident that peace in Iraq and in the Middle East region is a spectacularly difficult goal to reach. Many are tempted to give in to despair; but many, too, are those who persist as peacemakers. It is the peacemakers especially who are called children of God. The world was created for peace, not for war. That is an affirmation of faith. To live by it—to act politically on the truth of it—is fruitful beyond all calculation.
The psalm (72) from which Canada took its national motto (A mari usque ad mare) recognizes the reality of struggle and conflict in a world where “the weak and the needy” must be delivered “from oppression and violence”. The psalm calls for a leader who brings peace, In his days justice shall flourish, and peace, till the moon fails...
May you and your colleagues, Mr. Chrétien, bear fruit in the noble work of peace building, and taste the blessings that are reserved for peacemakers.
The following church leaders have chosen to sign this letter:
Archdeacon Jim Boyles
General Secretary, The Anglican Church of Canada
Archbishop Hovnan. Derderian
Primate, Armenian Orthodox Church, Canadian Diocese
Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous
Executive Minister, Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec
Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil
President, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
John Calder, Clerk
Canadian Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Rev. F. Tom Rutherford
Regional Minister, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Canada
The Rev. Messale Engeda, Presiding Priest
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Western Hemisphere
Rev. Raymond Schultz
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
Dan Nighswander
General Secretary, Mennonite Church Canada
The Right Rev. Seraphim
Bishop of Ottawa and Canada, Orthodox Church in America
The Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic
Polish National Catholic Church of Canada
The Rev. J. Mark Lewis
Moderator, 128th General Assembly, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
Rev. Siebrand Wilts
Stated Clerk, Regional Synod of Canada, Reformed Church in America
Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios
Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada)
Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak)
Primate, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada
The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy
Moderator, United Church of Canada
Ecumenical agencies:
Jane Orion Smith, Chair, Board of Directors
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
Dr. Walter Pitman, O. Ont., O.C.
Chair, Board of Directors, Project Ploughshares
Letter to U.S. President George Bush
September 25, 2002
The Right Honourable George W. Bush
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington DC 20500-0001
U.S.A.
Mr President:
We write from Canada to plead with you, as fellow Christians and as neighbours in North America, not to choose the terrible path of war to solve the challenges presented to the world by the government of Iraq.
I write with the concurrence of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Council of Churches. We met together this September 11 and found, after praying for the peace of the world on that painful anniversary day, that the issue of peace for Iraq was burning on the mind of each church representative who was present. Hence this letter.
Mr President, the values you praised when you spoke on television on the evening of September 11, 2002, are of compelling importance within a Christian understanding of life. As such, they are in no way nationally bounded. The One who gave life to your fellow citizens who perished one year ago is the very One who has also given life and human dignity to every child, every woman, every man. The Iraqis, too, are the neighbours whom we must love even as we love ourselves. Their lives are as sacred, as our own. Indeed, the people of Iraq cannot bear another invasion. They have suffered too much already.
The Gulf War of twelve years ago was terrible in the blood it spilled. In the years of internationally imposed sanctions since the war, it is the children and the ordinary women and men of Iraq who suffered the worst consequences of those sanctions. According to the United Nations’ own estimates, one million of them have died of causes related to the sanctions. The leaders of the governing regime have not been the ones to suffer hunger, sickness without adequate health care, the destruction of livelihoods, and the loss of hope for a whole generation of young people. The people of Iraq, in their millions, have born the deadly burden and have suffered enough.
We agree with the convictions expressed by the spokesperson for the General Board of Church and Society, General Secretary Jim Winkler of your own denomination, the United Methodist Church. We agree with his statement of August 30 when it affirms that the question of weapons inspection non-compliance by Iraq "should be a matter for the United Nations." We agree that "a pre-emptive war represents a major and dangerous change in US foreign policy, setting a terrible precedent for other nations." Although the regime of Saddam Hussein has indeed "been a highly negative influence in international and regional affairs", there are credible options other than another military invasion for dealing with the threats it presents. Therefore we affirm with your own Church the conclusion that "the path on which the President seeks to embark is counter to the teaching of Jesus...and is one that threatens the rule of law as a fundamental principle of democracy."
For the sake of the people of Iraq who have already suffered so much, for the sake of your own people who would be targeted even more ruthlessly by extremists if your government were violently to invade Iraq, for the sake of the stability of the Middle East region and of the whole world, we beg you, Mr. President, to seek peace by means of peace.
Yours truly,
+André Vallée, Bishop
President, Canadian Council of Churches
