Justification for war does not exist, says bishop

IRAQ CRISIS: Moral  justification for a war against Iraq does not exist, the Catholic Bishop of Killaloe, Dr Willie Walsh, said yesterday. However, he added that he was not prepared to condemn the current use of Shannon airport by US military aircraft.

"It is very difficult to make a definitive moral judgement on that issue at the moment. There are strong arguments from both sides," he said.

"One could easily argue that even if we refused the use of Shannon to US troops they would be facilitated elsewhere. I do believe however that the use or non-use of Shannon is not the real issue here. The real issue is whether or not this war can be justified.

"However if the US starts war with Iraq without United Nations approval, that would warrant the Shannon issue being revisited and my inclination would be then to oppose the use of Shannon by the US for direct military purposes."

On the possible war, Bishop Walsh said: "We cannot justify the terrible violence which will inflict so much suffering on millions of innocent people on the basis of a possible threat to us."

Citing a UN report which states that a war will place 10 million Iraqi civilians at risk of hunger and disease and give rise to a million refugees, Bishop Walsh said: "I believe that this proposed war is unjustified and that we as Christians should voice our opinion against it in every possible peaceful way which is available to us.

"At the very time when preparations are being made for war there is a threat of famine for millions of people in the Horn of Africa. Surely a 'war against hunger' is more urgent than a 'war against terrorism'. The ultimate weapon against terrorism is the fight against injustice wherever this may be happening."

Bishop Walsh went on: "War can at times solve problems in the short term but the history of war indicates that they solve little in the long term but cause enormous death and destruction and lay the seeds for future conflict.