Pre-emptive war against
Iraq illegal, immoral and unwise
World Council of
Churches
Update 02-32 For Immediate Use 15 October 2002
The general secretary of the World Council of Churches
informed the United Nations Security Council today
that many Christians "strongly believe that
pre-emptive war against Iraq is illegal, immoral and
unwise."
The Rev. Dr. Konrad Raiser sent the message in
response to the October 10 resolution of Congress
authorizing President Bush to use force against Iraq.
Raiser said "the WCC has always advocated for every
member state to comply with binding UN resolutions and
to resolve conflicts by peaceful means" and that "Iraq
can be no exception."
The World Council of Churches has repeatedly called on
Iraq to destroy its weapons of mass destruction,
cooperate with UN inspectors, and guarantee full
respect of its citizens' human rights, Raiser said.
But he also declared that "the people of Iraq have
suffered enough under a sanctions regime since 1991.
Inflicting further punishment on innocent civilians is
not morally acceptable to anyone."
"Churches around the world also caution against the
potential social, cultural and religious as well as
diplomatic long-term consequences of a [new] war,
especially a unilateral one. Further fuelling the
fires of violence that are already consuming the
region will only sow more seeds of intense hatred,
strengthening extremist ideologies and breeding
further global instability and insecurity," the letter
warned.
An earlier (19 September) WCC message addressed to the
diplomatic missions of the US, UK, France, Russia and
China cautioned them threatened military action
against Iraq.
The full text of the letter follows:
The World Council of Churches (WCC) remains extremely
concerned with the continued calls for military action
against Iraq both by the US and UK governments despite
Iraq's compliance with United Nations Resolution for
UN weapons inspection, agreeing for the " immediate,
unconditional and unrestricted access to sites in
Iraq".
We were greatly alarmed and saddened by the US
Congressional Joint Resolution to authorize use of
force against Iraq passed by the US House of
Representatives and Senate on 10th October, 2002,
authorizing, inter alia, the President of the USA to
use its armed forces in order to enforce all relevant
UN Security Council resolutions regarding Iraq.
As you prepare for further deliberations of the United
Nations Security Council this week, I would like to
draw your attention to the numerous voices of
Christians around the world, who, committed to the
teachings of Jesus Christ and the prophetic vision of
peace, strongly believe that pre-emptive war against
Iraq is illegal, immoral and unwise.
The World Council of Churches' governing body meeting
in September this year, urged the international
community to uphold the international rule of law, to
resist pressures to join in pre-emptive military
strikes against a sovereign state under the pretext of
the "war on terrorism", and to strengthen their
commitment to obtain respect for United Nations
Security Council resolutions on Iraq by non-military
means.
They deplored the fact that the most powerful nations
of this world continue to regard war as an acceptable
instrument of foreign policy, in violation of both the
United Nations Charter and Christian teachings.
The WCC has always advocated for every member state to
comply with binding UN resolutions and to resolve
conflicts by peaceful means. Iraq can be no exception.
Since the end of the Gulf War we have repeatedly
called the Government of Iraq to destroy its weapons
of mass destruction and related research and
production facilities, to cooperate fully with UN
inspectorsdeployed to oversee compliance, and to
guarantee full respect of the civil and political,
economic, social and cultural human rights for all its
citizens.
We are deeply concerned by the potential human costs
of a new war and the prospects of large-scale
deplacement of people. The people of Iraq have
suffered enough under a sanctions regime since 1991.
Inflicting further punishment on innocent civilians is
not morally acceptable to anyone. Churches around the
world also caution against the potential social,
cultural, and religious as well as diplomatic
long-term consequences of such a war, especially a
unilateral one. Further fueling the fires of violence
that are already consuming the region will only sow
more seeds of intense hatred strengthening extremist
ideologies and breeding further global instability and
insecurity.
The WCC joins its voices with church leaders and
Christian communities around the world, especially
from the USA and UK, praying that you focus your
attention on addressing the root causes of this
conflict and to put an end to the dire humanitarian
crisis in Iraq and the Middle East region as a whole.
I call upon you as members of the United Nations
Security Council to act wisely, responsibly and
courageously.
We pray that God will guide you to take decisions
based on moral principles and legal standards.
"No nation shall lift up sword against nation, neither
shall they learn war any more' Isaiah 2:4"
===
For further information, please contact Media
Relations Office, tel: +41 (0)22 791 64 21
**********
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of
churches, now 342, in more than 100 countries in all
continents from virtually all Christian traditions.
The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but
works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest
governing body is the assembly, which meets
approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally
inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its
staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser
from the Evangelical Church in Germany.
World Council of Churches
Media Relations Office
Tel: (41 22) 791 6153 / 791 6421
Fax: (41 22) 798 1346
E-mail: media@wcc-coe.org
Web: www.wcc-coe.org
PO Box 2100
1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
