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American Church leaders take their message of peace to Downing Street (19/02/03)
This statement is not necessarily the latest issued by the National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA). Please refer to there website for up to date information.
United States Christian leaders are in London this week (17-18 February) to convey a message of widespread opposition to war with Iraq. They believe there are other ways of solving the issue of Iraq's non-compliance with United Nation's resolutions over Weapons of Mass Destruction. They spent fifty minutes with Prime Minister Tony Blair, met British Church leaders, and attended a Service for peace and justice.
The visit was the third of five urgent meetings with European leaders by this ecumenical church delegation to encourage a peaceful response to war with Iraq. The idea for sending American delegations to Europe came from the US National Council of Churches (NCCCUSA) in New York, which is organizing visits to Berlin, Paris and Moscow and Rome. Jim Wallis (Sojourners) organizer of the delegation to London said:
'It is a last minute plea, in the name of peace, to seek a resolution for the current crisis with Iraq by means other than war.'
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland has facilitated the visit. On Monday the delegates met British Church leaders. A Service of Praise, Penitence and Prayer for Peace, at St John's Church, Waterloo Road, SE1 was led by the Rt Revd Peter Price, Anglican Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Severe snowstorms in Washington grounded flights so Revd Jim Wallis, Editor and Executive Director, Sojourners and Bishop John Chane, Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC missed the service. Instead Jim Wallis sent a message, (read to the congregation by CTBI General Secretary Dr David Goodbourn) in which he said:
'American church leaders have come to London this week literally on a mission of peace. We've come so that we might join together with you our brothers and sisters in the British churches, who have been so very clear and strong in opposing the rush to war. We want the British people to know, that the leaders of the American churches do not support a war with Iraq. In fact, never before in our history, have the American churches been so united for peace.'
'American church leaders agree that the threat of Saddam Hussein is very real and that Iraq must be disarmed, but we also believe that the unintended and unpredictable consequences of war could be catastrophic. American and British leaders have reminded the world of how terrible Saddam is, but the churches must remind the world about the realities of war.
'We are pressing our governments to persevere in disarming Iraq without war. We will offer our prayers for Tony Blair as he bears the heavy burden of these momentous decisions.'
On Tuesday the delegates had a private meeting with Prime Minister Tony Blair and also met Clare Short, Secretary for State for International Development.
Following their meeting Jim Wallis said the Prime Minister had listened to them cordially and they had said that they believed Britain is in a unique position to influence the decision about War with Iraq, more than any other country in the world.
'Our prayer is that we stop this war before it starts,' they had said.
Bishop Melvin Talbert, Ecumenical Officer, Council of United Methodist Bishops had travelled to Iraq in January and had shared with the Prime Minister his particular concern for the innocent people of Iraq.
Revd Clifton Kirkpatrick, Stated Clerk, Presbyterian Church USA said the delegates explored with the Prime Minister a number of alternative approaches including working through the United Nations to empower the people of Iraq, strengthening the process of weapons inspections, dealing deeply with the Palestine question, building global policy which addresses the gap between rich and poor, and building inter faith relations.
Bishop Riah Abu El-Assal, Episcopal Bishop of Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, said the road to peace in Iraq lay through Jerusalem. And he warned that
'War if it comes will be catastrophic for the faithful remnant of Christians in the birthplace of our faith.'
The delegation comprised:
They were
accompanied by: Rt Revd John Gladwin, Bishop of Guildford; Chairman of the Board, Christian Aid; Revd David Coffey, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain; Revd John Waller, Moderator, United Reformed Church; Revd Dr Keith Clements, General Secretary, Conference of European Churches; Dr David Goodbourn, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and Paul Renshaw, Coordinating Secretary for International Affairs, CTBI.
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