War and Gospel values

In his determination to launch a war against Iraq, even as weapon inspections continue, President George W Bush proclaims that diplomatic obstacles may be legitimately solved by military means. He is wrong. War cannot be a solution, except in self-defence.

Mr Bush, a practising Christian, may register that all mainline churches have condemned the notion of war without the sanction of the United Nations. The message is clear: a strike against Iraq is incompatible with gospel values.

The Christian community, most visibly the Holy See, is wise in counselling patience. It is imperative that the UN’s weapons inspectors under Hans Blix and Mohamed el Baradi be allowed to complete their mission. Their final report surely will produce a prudent assessment regarding the advisability of force against Saddam Hussein. There is a likelihood that the inspectors endeavours will forestall the need for military conflict.

The case for a pre-emptive strike against Iraq hinges mostly on the (vaguely stated) threat Saddam poses to the internal security of the United States and other Western countries. While the process of weapon inspection and disarmament is inexorably slow, it is reasonable to presume that Saddam Hussein will not engage whatever weapons he may have while the UN inspectors are still in Iraq.

All diplomatic means must be exhausted to prevent war, even if that requires more UN resolutions and more weapons inspectors.

The Holy See has been particularly active mediating between the various parties. In February alone, Pope John Paul met with Saddam’s deputy Tariq Aziz; British Prime Minister Tony Blair; German foreign minister Joschka Fischer, whose government opposes the war; and UN secretary-general Kofi Annan. The pope also sent an envoy, Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, to Baghdad to meet with Saddam Hussein, a diplomatic accomplishment of great significance.

But the Vatican’s anti-war stance must not be mistaken for naive pacifism. Catholic doctrine, grounded in Augustine and Aquinas, acknowledges that there are times when war is justifiable. The proposed war on Iraq, in the Vatican’s view, fails to meet the criteria for a just war.

Rather than being pacifist, the Holy See’s approach is one of mediating peace, according to its de facto prime minister, Cardinal Angelo Sodano. This is a realisation of Jesus’ summons to us in his revolutionary Sermon on the Mount: to be peacemakers.

It is encouraging that anti-war sentiment has unified people across the globe. It must be a source of concern, however, that Saddam Hussein, cast in the role of the underdog, may gain unmerited sympathies. The US is right about one thing: Saddam is a menace whose position of power poisons the world.

However, there is no guarantee that military action would topple Saddam. It is inevitable, though, that Iraqi civilians (and possibly more than a few soldiers on bioth sides) would pay a high toll for an attempt to do so. The UN’s World Health Organisation predicts that at least 100000 Iraqis would die in a war, and 400000 would be affected by disease and displacement.

The Holy See’s position on the proposed war is wise, taking into account judicious realpolitik, the gospel value of peace, and the dimension of love and compassion for the innocents who will inevitably bear the brunt of military action. The advocates of war cannot afford to ignore the Christian conscience