A "defeat for humanity"” “

“The initial phase of the disarmament of Iraq has begun”: that’s how the spokesman of the White House, Ari Fleischer, announcing the speech of President George W. Bush, laconically broke the news of the beginning of the Anglo-American attack on the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was just after 3.30 Italian time, dawn in Baghdad, when air-raid sirens, followed by explosions and anti-aircraft barrages, marked the beginning of the “first phase” of the war. “Profound sorrow for the unfolding of the latest events in Iraq” was immediately expressed by the Holy See through the words of its spokesman Navarro-Valls. The attack was also condemned by Germany, Belgium and the Conference of European Churches. Germany, the churches condemn the attack on Iraq. “This war is an expression of the failure of diplomacy”: so say Cardinal Karl Lehmann, president of the German Episcopal Conference, Manfred Kock, president of the Council of the Evangelic Church, and Bishop Walter Klaiber, president of the Community of work of the Christian Churches (ACK) in a joint declaration released on 20 May, immediately after the Ango-American attack on Iraq. “At this moment, the Churches and the Christian communities, like many people throughout the world, who had warned against taking a step of this kind, feel a great sense of sorrow”, says the communiqué, “because there can be no war by God’s will; it’s always a defeat for humanity”. Emphasizing that they entertain no “illusions about the brutal regime of Baghdad”, the Churches reaffirm their own “opposition” to the “path of bloodshed that has now been taken”, because, they say, “we don’t see any justification for it at the ethical level or at the level of international law”. The German Churches express their “participation in the suffering of all the victims: the dead and their families, the injured and the refugees”. They exhort “personal and community prayer”. They urge that “contacts be maintained with the Churches and Christian communities of the Near and Middle East, as well as those of the USA. At this time the significance of dialogue with our Islamic neighbours in our own country and elsewhere in the world is once again being revealed”. Belgium: “may the conflict end as soon as possible” A harsh condemnation of the US military attack on Iraq, combined with the hope that “the conflict may end as soon as possible”, has been expressed by the bishops of Belgium in a communiqué released yesterday. “In spite of the innumerable appeals for peace made to the two sides in the conflict, and in spite of the diplomatic efforts made both by the international community and by the religious authorities, it has not proved possible to avert the war in Iraq”, point out the bishops. “War is always a defeat for humanity – they affirm –. Now that it has broken out, our thoughts must go to the innocent victims that the war will cause, as also to all those who will suffer due to the violence of the fighting”. Hence the appeal “to all the members of our communities” to “intensify prayer and penance to invoke the gift of peace from Christ”. The communiqué ends with a heartfelt appeal “to those who exercise political and military responsibilities, to do their utmost to ensure that the conflict may end as soon as possible and to work for a lasting peace, the gift of God”. KEK: “sorrow for the civilian victims on both sides” “We consider that all possible efforts were not made to find an alternative to war, and we regret that the UN weapons inspectors were not enabled to complete their work in Iraq”. So says a declaration issued yesterday by the general secretary of KEK (Conference of the European Churches), the Rev. Keith Clements. Expressing “in advance sorrow for the civilian and military victims on both sides”, KEK urges respect for “international accords and conventions on the treatment of combatants and non-combatants”, and also asks “that all the victims, in particular the homeless, the displaced and the refugees, the sick and children, be helped with humanitarian aid as soon as possible and without restrictions imposed by military interests”. “We hope – concludes the statement – that all the European nations will be willing to accept refugees from the region and to grant them the rights upheld by international legislation”.