“Peace, the gift of God entrusted to the uncertain hands of man, is too great and precious a virtue to be affirmed or ignored according to the indications of party-political alignments. The decision for peace, or God willing, for war, must be made by each person in the tremendous solitude of his own conscience”. That is the appeal addressed by the bishops of the Molise to the Region’s MPs, assembled in Parliament on 19 February for the vote on the motions relating to Italy’s intervention in Iraq. “As bishops of Molise the letter continues we want in particular to express to you our human solidarity and paternal solicitude for the gravity of the decisions certainly not easy that you are called to take in the exercise of your responsibility. At the same time, we feel a strong obligation to urge you to listen attentively to the voice of your own conscience”. “It is our task conclude the bishops to remind you that the concept of “preventive war” is not justified by Catholic moral doctrine, even if conducted against a dictator whom we unanimously condemn for his violation of the most elementary human rights of his people and whose weapons of mass destruction we fear. It is your duty to ensure that any decision you take shall respect the resolutions of the UNO, and safeguard European unity”.
