A call by the ecumenical community against war in Iraq.September 25, 2002 The Right Honourable Jean Chretien Prime Minister of Canada House of Commons House of Commons: see Parliament. Ottawa, Canada K1A 0A2 Dear Prime Minister Chretien: 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 The Government of Canada is the federal government of Canada. The powers and structure of the federal government are set out in the Constitution of Canada. In modern Canadian use, the term "government" (or "federal government") refers broadly to the cabinet of the day and 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 bel·li·cose adj. Warlike in manner or temperament; pugnacious. See Synonyms at belligerent. [Middle English, from Latin bellic 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 Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or . 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 This article is about the pacifist organization. For other meanings, see Peacemaker (disambiguation). Peacemakers was an American pacifist organization. . 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. Chretien, bear fruit in the noble work of peace building, and taste the blessings that are reserved for peacemakers. Yours sincerely, Church leaders: Archdeacon Jim Boyles General Secretary The Anglican Church of Canada Archbishop Hovnan Derderian Archbishop Hovnan Derderian (born December 1, 1957) is the youngest Armenian clergyman to have been elevated to the rank of Archbishop. Born in Beirut, Derderian studied at the Antelias Seminary and the Seminary of the Holy See in Etchmiadzin, Armenia. Primate Armenian Orthodox Church, Canadian Diocese Rev. Dr. Kenneth Bellous Executive Minister Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec (BCOQ) - the oldest union of Baptist churches in central Canada. In 1880 a "Baptist Union of Canada" was formed. Since the churches were located chiefly in the central provinces, the name was changed in 1888 to its present "Baptist Bishop Jacques Berthelet, C.S.V. Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil President Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops John Calder Clerk Canadian Yearly Meeting Canadian Yearly Meeting is a body of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), with approximately 1200 members in Canada and border areas of the United States. Its offices are located in Ottawa. of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Rev. F. Tom Rutherford Regional Minister Christian Church (Disciples of Christ Disciples of Christ: see Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Disciples of Christ Group of U.S. Protestant churches that originated in the frontier revivals of the early 19th century. ) in Canada The Rev. Messale Engeda Presiding Priest Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (in transliterated Amharic:Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan) is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia that was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of in the Western Hemisphere Rev. Raymond Schultz National Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) (French: Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne au Canada) is Canada's largest Lutheran denomination, with 182,077 baptized members in 624 congregations. Dan Nighswander General Secretary Mennonite Church Canada Mennonite Church Canada is the conference of Mennonites in Canada, with head offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The first Mennonites in Canada arrived from Pennsylvania in 1786. The Right Rev. Seraphim seraphim six-winged angels of the highest order, distinguished by their zeal and love. [O.T.: Isaiah 6:2; Benét, 915] See : Angel Bishop of Ottawa and Canada Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church in North America. Its current primate is Metropolitan Herman (Swaiko), who was elected in 2002. The Church's headquarters are located in Syosset, New York. The Very Rev. Anthony Nikolic Polish National Catholic Church The Polish National Catholic Church (PNCC) is a Christian church founded and based in the United States by Polish-Americans who were Roman Catholic. However, the PNCC is today not in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, and differs with it theologically in several of Canada The Rev. J. Mark Lewis Moderator, 128th General Assembly The Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. Rev. Siebrand Wilts Stated Clerk Regional Synod of Canada Reformed Church in America Reformed Church in America, Protestant denomination founded in colonial times by settlers from the Netherlands and formerly known as the Dutch Reformed Church. The Reformed Church in Holland emerged in the 16th cent. Metropolitan Archbishop Wasyly (Fedak) Primate Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada (UOCC) is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Canada, primarily serving Ukrainian Canadians. Its former name was the Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church of Canada (UGOC). The Right Rev. Dr. Marion Pardy Moderator United Church of Canada United Church of Canada, Protestant denomination formed in 1925 by the union of the Methodist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches in Canada. A large number of Presbyterian congregations, however, remain outside the union. Ecumenical agencies: Jane Orion Smith Chair, Board of Directors KAIROS Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the "right or opportune moment". The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos and kairos. : Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives Dr. Walter Pitman, 0. Ont., O.C. Chair, Board of Directors Project Ploughshares
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