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British
Church Leaders Doubt Morality Of Iraq War
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Both archbishops said doubts still persist about the moral legitimacy, as well as the unpredictable humanitarian and political consequences of Iraq war |
LONDON,
February 20 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The leaders of
the UK's Catholic and Anglican churches on Thursday, February 20, cast
doubt on the moral case for attacking Iraq, warning of the
unpredictable humanitarian and political consequences of an attack on
Iraq.
In
a joint statement, they say war inevitably brings "a sense of
failure", and call for United Nations weapons inspections to be
given more time, BBC’s online services reported.
Archbishop
of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the spiritual leader of the world's 70
million Anglicans, and Archbishop of Westminster Cormac
Murphy-O'Connor, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales,
said continued weapons inspections could render war unnecessary,
Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
They
also urged Iraq "to demonstrate forthwith its unequivocal
compliance with UN resolutions on weapons of mass destruction".
‘No
Morale Case’
Only
last weekend, hours before hundreds of thousands of people took to the
streets to protest against a possible attack on Iraq, Prime Minister
Tony Blair argued what he called "the moral case" for
confronting President Saddam Hussein with force, BBC said.
"Ridding
the world of Saddam would be an act of humanity. It is leaving him
there that is in truth inhumane," Blair said on Saturday,
February 15.
But
the archbishops say: "The events of recent days show that doubts
still persist about the moral legitimacy, as well as the unpredictable
humanitarian
and political consequences, of a war with Iraq."
"War
is always a deeply disturbing prospect; one that can never be
contemplated without a sense of failure and regret that other means
have not prevailed, and deep disquiet about all that may come in its
train," the statement said.
It
is fairly unusual for the two archbishops to issue joint statements:
they decided to do so after a routine private meeting a few days ago,
BBC said.
Church
opposition was expressed earlier, on December 26, when Britain’s
religious leaders of the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches and
leading opposition politicians expressed opposition against possible
U.S.-led war on Iraq, in messages aimed at Prime Minister Tony Blair
accusing him of moral surrender over Iraq.
More
Opposition
In
a letter to Tony Blair, delivered to Downing Street on Thursday
morning, the charity Christian Aid echoed concerns about the
justification for war with Iraq.
"As
the official development and relief agency of 40 British and Irish
member churches, we do not believe there is yet a moral case for
war," wrote Director Dr Daleep Mukarji.
The
charity fears there will be "significant chaos and suffering in
Iraq long after military strikes have ended".
The
Bishop of Oxford, the Right Reverend Richard Harries, told BBC Radio
4's Today program the moral case for war had not been made.
He
said: "This joint statement (by the church leaders) is a very
good one and represents the opinion of the vast majority of leaders in
both churches."
Dr
Williams, who is to be enthroned on 27 February, has made clear his
opposition to any war on Iraq, but the cardinal has not declared
himself.
One
church observer told BBC News Online: "They've cleverly said a
lot of very important things without actually backing anyone into a
corner."
But
the archbishops' emphasis on the UN's role, their recognition of the
doubts over war's moral legitimacy, and their refusal to call for
Saddam's overthrow suggest they wish to be understood as saying no war
should be fought, BBC said.
Britain
on Wednesday, February 19, told its nationals in Iraq to get out
immediately, as it flew fresh waves of combat-ready troops to the
Gulf.
Meanwhile,
The Guardian on Thursday reported that Britain and the United States
have been forced to postpone until next week the publication of a
second UN resolution designed to garner Security Council support for
war against Iraq.
Such
a resolution will now not be put to a vote before early March 2003,
following another report by the United Nations' chief weapons
inspector Hans Blix, the British daily said.
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