Churches urge PM to seek peace (instead of war in Iraq).Eighteen church leaders, including Archbishop Michael Peers The Most Reverend Michael Geoffrey Peers (born 1934) was Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada from 1986 till 2004. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1934, Archbishop Peers completed an undergraduate degree in languages at the University of British Columbia in 1956 , the Anglican primate, marked the start of Lent by writing to Prime Minister Jean Chretien urging alternatives to war in Iraq. The letter, released by the Canadian Council of Churches The Canadian Council of Churches/Le conseil canadien des églises is an ecumenical Christian forum of churches in Canada. It was founded on 27 September 1944 at Yorkminster Baptist Church in Toronto, Ontario. , commended the Canadian government for continuing "to seek and support alternatives to war and to insist that decision-making in this crisis must be collective, not unilateral." It noted that "the regime of Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein (born April 28, 1937, Tikrit, Iraq—died Dec. 30, 2006, Baghdad) President of Iraq (1979–2003). He joined the Ba'th Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. has lead Iraq on paths of violence and defiance of international standards that protect human rights." While those actions must be condemned, so must "the readiness of Washington and London to resort to violence." The leaders said they supported the United Nations weapons inspection process, adding that "as long as inspectors are active in Iraq, it will not be possible for the regime to undertake (possession 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 )" undetected. |
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