Franciscans Say No To Iraq War

We, the members of the Animation Commission of the OFM International Council for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation, meeting in São Paulo, Brazil, from January 29 – February 3, 2003, wish to make our voice heard. We join with the pronouncements made by Pope John Paul II and the leaders of all the major religions of the world, and express our opposition to the build up to war in Iraq. While we recognise the excesses of the current regime in Iraq we do not believe that the policies adopted by the United States and its allies will lead to a just and lasting solution and will ultimately cause the death of hundreds of thousands of people.

 

We reject the theory of pre-emptive strike. We strongly urge the continued involvement of the United Nations in the mediation process, especially through the work of the weapons inspectors, and we call on all nations to support this work and respect its findings. In the case of the discovery of weapons of mass destruction we agree that they should be neutralised. However, short of overt aggression on the part of Saddam Hussein, we do not agree that war is the answer. War is an abomination, and a war in Iraq will not solve the underlying causes to this conflict. Whatever legitimate issues exist between the nation of Iraq and the world community of nations, it is essential that they be addressed constructively and not by imposing a vastly destructive and ultimately ineffective military solution.

 

We believe in peace, and that the path to true peace is through dialogue. We therefore urge all of the parties involved to step back from the brink of war and to use every means available to further a just and equitable resolution to the present impasse.

 

We call on Franciscans, and on all men and women of good will, to join the massive protests taking place all over the world against the war in Iraq, and to write letters to the members of the U.N. Security Council to oppose it. In the spirit of Saint Francis, who greeted everyone with the words "May the Lord give you peace," we pray that our call for peace, which is replicated by many others throughout the world, be heard and acted upon.