From CNS, Staff and other sources
ON
GUARD. An Iraqi soldier stands before truckloads of volunteers in
Baghdad on June 17, eager to fight Sunni militants converging on the
city.
The
chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and
Peace called for diplomatic measures rather than a U.S. military
response to the crisis facing Iraq as Islamist militants gain ground. In
a letter to Susan E. Rice, the U.S. national security adviser, Bishop
Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, called upon the United States to
urge Iraqi political leaders to “form an inclusive government” so that
people who feel they have no voice in the country’s affairs are included
in its governance.
“Our nation bears a special responsibility
toward the people of Iraq,” Bishop Pates wrote on June 19. “The U.S.-led
invasion and occupation unleashed both sectarian conflicts and
extremism in Iraq, two tragic unintended consequences that have profound
and continuing repercussions for the people of Iraq.”
Iraq’s crisis was spawned by the rapid
movement of thousands of armed members of the Islamic State of Iraq and
Syria through much of northern Iraq. The militant organization has
killed Muslims and Christians while functioning with military efficiency
during its press toward Baghdad, the capital, during June.
“It is critical that all ethnic and
religious groups are represented at the table of governance so that the
common good of all is served,” Bishop Pates said. “Extremists have been
exploiting the divisions born of exclusion and the weakening of the rule
of law.” The fall of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, to Islamist
militants in early June sent half a million residents scurrying for
safety. Church officials reported that virtually every Christian who was
physically capable of doing so fled the city before the militants
arrived.
Bishop Pates said diplomatic efforts also
must be undertaken in neighboring Syria. He urged Rice and U.S.
officials to work with other countries, particularly Iran, Russia, Saudi
Arabia and “all responsible parties in Syria.”
“It is critical to obtain a ceasefire,
initiate serious negotiations, provide impartial humanitarian assistance
and encourage efforts to build an inclusive society in Syria,” Bishop
Pates wrote. “These actions will help protect the rights of all
citizens, including Christians and other minorities.”
Pax Christi USA also called for a “fully
inclusive international diplomatic process” to address the burgeoning
Iraqi crisis and the continuing violence in Syria rather than any
military response by the United States or other countries. The Catholic
peace organization urged the United Nations to initiate multilateral
diplomacy involving organizations like the Arab League.
Sister Josie Chrosniak, a member of the
Sisters of the Humility of Mary who chairs Pax Christi USA’s national
council, told Catholic News Service that the challenges facing Iraq will
be resolved only through nonviolent action and diplomacy. “As an
organization committed to the belief in nonviolence we do continue to be
saddened by all the violence in the world, but most especially at this
time by the violence that is causing increased suffering to the people
of Iraq,” Sister Chrosniak said.
Military intervention would only lead to
more conflict, she added.
“The more we fight, the more people will fight us. We really believe the only way for any kind of solution to be reached is through the United Nations. The U.N. has the ability to address the concerns for all the people in the area, all of the countries involved,” Sister Chrosniak explained.
“The more we fight, the more people will fight us. We really believe the only way for any kind of solution to be reached is through the United Nations. The U.N. has the ability to address the concerns for all the people in the area, all of the countries involved,” Sister Chrosniak explained.
In its statement, Pax Christi USA maintained
that “U.S. military intervention will not achieve the peace and
stability that the people of Iraq deserve.”
“A military solution—whether it includes air
strikes or ground troops or an increase in the flow of weapons into
Iraq—will only serve to increase the suffering of the Iraqi people, not
alleviate it,” the statement said.
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