VOL. 27 NO. 1 THE LITTLE WAY SUMMER 2007 Dorothy Day Catholic Worker A Call To The Catholic Church To End the War In Iraq By Art Laffin Iraqi children died before media lies justifying the invasion, or the reaching their fifth birthday. war profiteering of the arms industries As the U.S. occupation of Iraq is now More than half of these deaths and companies like Bechtel and in it’s fifth year, the vast majority of the were among newborn babies Haliburton. Iraqi people, and a growing majority of in the first month of life. More- God requires us to renounce all idola- the American people, are demanding an over, the bishops did not call try, violence, oppression and racism, and end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Still, on the U.S. to repent for these to revere all life as sacred. An Iraqi life is the Bush Administration remains com- crimes. Rather, the U.S. Catho- as precious as an American life. Not one mitted to this immoral and criminal oc- lic Conference of Bishops more person should suffer or die from cupation. Moreover, the administration (USCCB) declared in their U.S. warmaking and military occupation. has contrived a new threat that mirror’s statement: “Our nation’s mili- It is painfully clear that with each the lies that were propagated for the Iraq tary forces should remain in pasing day the U.S. occupation of Iraq invasion—Iran’s nonexistant nuclear Iraq only as long as their pres- means more death and suffering for the threat—to justify not only remaining in ence contributes to a respon- Iraqi people, and U.S. soldiers and their Iraq, but also to pursue regime change sible transition.” families. Thus, compelled by my faith in in Iran! I ask: How can the U.S., Jesus and my love for the universal Body Although many democrats in Con- which has committed geno- of Christ, I make the following appeal: It gress have opposed the administration’s cidal war crimes in Iraq, ever is time for our church to repent for our plans for continued occupation, the bring about a responsible complicity in the sin of U.S.warmaking Democratic-led Congress voted on May 2000 Jubilee Commission in Iraq transition in Iraq? in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is time for all 24 for $120 billion in supplemental aid to against the U.S. invasion of Iraq before it The Catholic Church is complicit in the Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, continue the wars in Iraq and Afghani- happened. However, the Bishops had death and suffering of Iraqis and U.S. sol- Religious and Laity to speak with a clear stan and abandon a timetable for been virtually silent about the war until diers because of its failure to unequivo- and prophetic voice and call for an im- withdrawl of U.S. forces from Iraq, thereby their statement issued at the November cally condemn this war as immoral and mediate withdrawl of all U.S. soldiers, in- putting its stamp of approval on these 2006 bishops conference. When I read illegal. I agree with Bishop John Michael telligence personnel and private contrac- wars. It also appears certain that the ad- their statement about Iraq I was deeply Botean, who said in a pastoral letter on tors from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is time ministration will be able to pass its $649 saddened. While I commend the bish- March 7, 2003, “that any direct participa- to call for a cut off of all war-funding and billion FY2008 military budget instead of ops for addressing the human and eco- tion of this war against the people of Iraq to close all U.S. military bases in Iraq and using this money to end poverty. nomic cost of the war, there was no real is objectively grave evil, a matter of mor- Afghanistan. As the U.S. continues its occupation acknowledgment of the war crimes the tal sin.” Before the invasion, the USCCB It is time to call on all soldiers, our and which now includes more bombing U.S. government has committed in Iraq. should have said that no Catholic should brothers and sisters, to refuse orders to raids in Iraqi neighborhoods, as the vio- The Bishops did not address the fact that participate in this war, pay taxes to pros- fight and kill, and to actively support all lence in Iraq continues to spiral out of the U.S., as a result of 16 years of U.S. ecute the war, or make weapons to be military refusers and conscientious objec- control, as the casualties continue to bombings, including the use of highly ra- used in the war. Just think of how many tors. (Hundreds have signed “Refuse to mount, and as the U.S. continues to dioactive depleted uranium weapons, lives could have been saved if the Church Fight-Refuse to Kill” statement. See threaten Iran, “What would Jesus do?”, U.S./UN-led economic sanctions, and took this prophetic stand! How many www.jonahhouse.org) is the question Christians must ask. The now invasion, has destroyed Iraq and deaths will it take till we know that too It is time for the U.S. to make repara- biblical mandate is clear: Thou Shalt not caused an estimated two million deaths many people have died? I mourn all the tions to Iraq and to call for a “surge” in Kill, love one another, love your enmies, and four million refugees. It did not ad- war-dead, Iraqi and U.S, and the count- recontructruction funds for Iraq and Af- put away the sword, forgive, be peace- dress the fact that, according to The Lan- less people who have been maimed and ghanistan, with a special proviso that no makers! cet, a leading British medical journal, an scarred for life. U.S. contractor profit from such recon- Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the estimated 654,000 Iraqis have died as a Moreover, the Bishops did not once in struction. It is also time to investigate and Catholic Church’s response to the occu- direct result of the invasion. The most re- their statement mention the oil politics demand the dissolution of Blackwater, the pation has been ambiguous and equivo- cent Save the Children study declared that was the real reason for the invasion, secret U.S.-hired mercenary force in Iraq. cating. Like many others, I commended that one in eight Iraqi children died of dis- or U.S. plans to control the Middle East. continued on page 2, column 4 the Vatican and bishops for speaking out ease or violence in 2005—that is 122,000 They did not decry the administration or “One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the US around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an REQUESTED attempt: the total inability of violence to RETURN SERVICE RETURN PERMIT NO. 5370 NO. PERMIT change anything for the better.” WASHINGTON DC WASHINGTON Washington, DC 20010 DC Washington, US POSTAGE PAID POSTAGE US 503 Rock Creek Church Road, NW Road, Church Creek Rock 503 -Daniel Berrigan NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION NON-PROFIT Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Catholic Day Dorothy Page 2 THE LITTLE WAY VOL. 27 NO. 1 continued from page 1 personnel at Minot, North Dakota Air as God’s sons and daughters. An Open Letter to As leaders of the Church, I implore you Force Base, under oath, declared that It is time for Catholics and for all people to minister to the well being of the world. they did not know what was in the nuclear of faith to renounce the adminstration’s Your leadership is vital to bring an end to the US Catholic missile silo at E-9 near White Shields, “long-war” plan, policies of preemptive/ the nuclear insanity that is growing around North Dakota. Why did they not know? preventive warmaking, and U.S. aspira- the world each day. You can publicly Bishops I believe it is because you as leaders tions of empire and global domination. attend a non-violent demonstration in in the Catholic Church do not fulfill your It is time to demand an end to U.S. opposition to nuclear insanity, or even obligation of non-violent public resistance threats to destablize Iran. It is time to dis- speak at one. Your actions and words Dear Brother Cardinal, Archbishop, to evil as a constitutive element of the mantle the entire U.S. nuclear stockpile Bishop, and Fellow Christians, Gospel. In the past, many know that if must condemn those who North Dakota was an independent nation would seek to keep such “We are too much like Pilate; it would have ranked third in the number weapons - wherever they constantly asking what is truth and then of nuclear weapons it possessed. Today, exist. crucifying the truth that stands before us. an overwhelming majority of Americans I beg of you, collectively Our minds are deformed with a kind of believe that these weapons should be and individually, to contempt for reality. In place of abolished, yet you have not taken an condemn nuclear conforming ourselves to what is, we twist active role in seeking this - though you weapons in both deed and everything in our actions and words to fit have initiated a public program in word. These bombs are our own reality.” (Merton) opposition to the death penalty. One our bombs and we cannot The world applauded in 1965 when you detonation of a nuclear bomb could cause afford to wash our hands declared that nuclear weapons are a death far in excess of all those ever clean of the matter as crime against humanity and are to be executed.