As our nation embarks on a war against Iraq, a war which our religious traditions have almost unanimously characterized as unjust and immoral, we cry out with indignation at the senseless bloodshed and pledge to do everything possible to non-violently oppose and resist this war.  All life is sacred, and we mourn the loss of any life – Iraqi or American, civilian or military. That the conflict has now begun does not make it any less unjust, nor the arguments made to justify it any more truthful

            “In every age, the churches carry the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the gospel, if we are to carry out our task.” [Vatican II, Church in the Modern World] We believe we are at a crucial moment in history when the peace of the world is at stake.

            In these past several months, religious leaders from around the world have spoken out regarding the imminence of war in Iraq. They have called upon their faith traditions in denouncing this violent and dangerous course. “It is inconceivable that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior and the Prince of Peace, would support this attack against Iraq.” [United Methodist Church]

            We are reminded of another crucial time in our nation’s history, when that great apostle of nonviolence, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., courageously and prophetically called for an end to the war in Vietnam, “A time comes when silence is betrayal,” he said.  We believe that this new war, even more than in the case of Vietnam, threatens the very nature of our civilization.

            Now that war has begun, we are, as Christians, compelled by the gospel to make a choice and to take a stand. Either we choose to be faithful to Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, and to do everything in our power to bear witness to his peace and to bring this war to an end. Or we resign ourselves to the war and relinquish our responsibility to challenge our national leaders in pursuing this course of action.  

            To the leaders of our nation we say: In the name of God, in the name of the suffering Iraqi people and all peoples throughout the world whose cries for peace reach up to heaven, stop this war!

            To our men and women in the military and their families we say: We pray for you and your safety, and pledge to do everything in our power to ensure your safe return.

            To the Iraqi people we say: We mourn the loss of every precious life and we join you in your grief and ask for forgiveness.

            To the faithful in our churches we say: Do not grow feint or lose hope. Now more than ever is the time to fervently pray for peace and to engage in prophetic and courageous public witness to call for an end to this senseless slaughter.

            To the American people we say: Nothing is more patriotic than peace. Nothing is less patriotic than to pursue an aggressive and unjust war.

            The issue at hand is no longer whether or not Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, or if it intends to use them. Regrettably, war has ruled out further inspections under United Nations auspices, an option that we have consistently supported over time.

            The issue at hand today is whether the United States should be permitted to impose its will on the world regardless of the opinions of humankind.

            By launching a preemptive strike -- a crime against peace -- the United States has established a precedent that threatens to destabilize the international peace and security framework that has functioned since the conclusion of World War II, opening the way for disregard of the United Nations Charter and international law by other nations.

            By launching a war against Iraq and threatening to use nuclear weapons if attacked by chemical or biological weapons, the United States is advancing the clock toward nuclear Armageddon and encouraging other nations to develop nuclear weapons before they are attacked.

            By bombing a city of five million people such as Baghdad, risking countless civilian casualties in doing so – potentially a crime against humanity – the United States becomes even more vulnerable to further terrorist attacks against our cities and risks sowing further enmity among Christians, Jewish and Muslim peoples.

            For all these reasons, we call most energetically on our nation’s leaders to cease this war immediately and to pursue the ways of peace, encouraging every means of international cooperation to achieve that end. There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.

            During this Lenten season, we deepen our desire and aspiration for peace through prayer, fasting, and bearing witness to peace, in whatever tradition we affirm it – paz, salaam, shalom – a peace based on truth, justice, respect for human life, and reconciliation between all peoples.

            We pray for the peace that the world so needs, for the coming of the day when, “God will judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” [Isaiah 2:4]

            Let us turn our hearts back to God – our Creator, the Prince of Peace, the Spirit of Life – who binds up all wounds, transforms hearts, and renews the face of the earth. Let us turn our hearts toward each other, regardless of the religious tradition or political persuasion we profess, and work to bind up the wounds of our nation and heal the divisions of the world so aggravated by injustice and war.

            The hour is late, but it is not too late to change our course and to return to God and to the ways of peace.