Ireland's Catholic Bishops have said the case for war against Iraq has not been made and they have appealed to the Government "and through them to other world leaders, to take all possible steps to actively promote a political solution" to the crisis, writes Patsy McGarry, Religious Affairs Correspondent
They also begged the Iraqi leadership "to cease its repression of the Iraqi people and to co-operate fully with the arms inspectors." They were "particularly concerned about the humanitarian disaster that will befall Iraq in the event of war."
In a statement issued following their Spring meeting at St Patrick's College Maynooth, they warned against setting aside the UN Charter as the option of pre-emptive action against Iraq was considered. They called on the Government "to reject such a course of action and to continue to work diplomatically for a just solution based on law and on humanitarian principles".
They said that "whether or not war should be declared on Iraq raises questions of profound moral and religious concern, as is clear from recent public demonstrations in Ireland". In the context it was "essential that our attitude in Ireland to this debate is based on sound moral and humanitarian principles", they said.
They pointed out that "earlier this year Pope John Paul emphatically said 'No to war War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity'." The bishops wished to add their voice "to that of the Holy Father, and to the Bishops' Conferences of the United States, England and Wales, France and many other countries on this issue."
They were " heartened by the position taken recently by the Irish Government on the UN Security Council in upholding the role of the United Nations and the primacy of International Law", and pointed out that "the United Nations Charter requires all states to refrain from the 'threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political integrity of any state'."
Meanwhile, the two Church of Ireland Archbishops have issued a joint statement saying "that war in Iraq will deepen a humanitarian crisis of grave magnitude, with untold human suffering and loss of life, especially for the children of Iraq". The Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, and the Archbishop of Dublin, Most Rev John Neill, continued that such a war would "reinforce and polarise division and hatred between communities resulting in further destabilisation of the region and of the international community". They urged the Security Council "to uphold the principles of the UN Charter that strictly limit the legitimate use of military force" and called on the British and Irish governments to "express clearly their support for the upholding of the fundamental principles of the UN Charter".