Iraq and the burning bush

Catholic New Times, Feb 9, 2003 by Jim Doris

"Never again war, no!"

Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, quoting these words from Pope John Paul II (first spoken in March 1991), kicked off "Iraq and the Burning Bush: Catholic Perspectives" session, organized by St. Michaels College at the University of Toronto on Jan. 21.

Bishop Gumbleton, the Bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit since 1968, a wall-known speaker and writer on social-justice issues in the U.S., focused on three key points used by the pope to argue against war.

1) War destroys the lives of innocent people. According to UN figures, over 500,000 children and 500,000 adults in Iraq have died as a result of war and economic sanctions imposed on Iraq following the Gulf War of 1990. These sanctions, which were intended to bring about a change of government, in fact, have hurt everyone but Saddam Hussein. Bishop Gumbleton spoke movingly of visits to children's hospitals in Basra, Iraq's second largest city, where the biblical Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet. Babies are being born with grotesque abnormalities in addition to a heavy incidence of leukemia and other cancers linked to radioactive debris spread by uranium-tipped missiles used in the Gulf War.

2) War throws into upheaval the lives of those who do the killing. Demonizing the enemy is an essential step before sending soldiers to battle. The bishop drew on the experience of U.S. Senator John McCain, a Republican candidate for president, who had been a navy pilot in the Vietnam War. McCain has reported that he was taught to hate his enemies, otherwise, he would have recoiled in disgust at what he had to do. Bishop Gumbleton also spoke of the impact that the Vietnam War had on many American soldiers, and how many homeless on the streets of Detroit are men whose lives were shattered by that experience.

3) War leaves behind resentment and hatred. Bishop Gumbleton asserted that people in the Middle East are convinced that the Iraq situation is not over weapons and terrorism, but over oil. He explained the difficulties that will arise if Saddam Hussein is replaced. For example, the people in the South are Shiite Muslims who might want to unite with their compatriots across the border in Iran to control the oil fields. The Kurds in the North want their own nation, causing huge problems for Turkey next door where there are millions of Kurds. As a result, an occupying force may well be necessary and history proves that such forces are hated.

'Peace through reconciliation'

Bishop Gumbleton had just returned from his seventh trip to Iraq and spoke of his experiences there. During his last trip, he accompanied a group called "September 11th Families for a Peaceful Tomorrow." The bishop described how American family members went to the homes of Iraqi families whose husbands and brothers had been killed by U.S. bombs. They wept, embraced and shared their love. Bishop Gumbleton ended his address with the exhortation, "Peace through reconciliation, forgiveness and love."

In an interview with CNT, the bishop was asked about the "born-again Christianity" of U.S. President George W. Bush and his confreres.

"Their religion is all individualistic," replied Bishop Gumbleton. "There is no social content, no social awareness. It's all, 'saving my soul.' There is no thought of transforming culture and the world into the reign of God. Christianity without this element is really nothing. It certainly is not Jesus."

Asked why so many bishops fail to mobilize Catholics against war, Gumbleton replied: "I really don't know why so few follow through--except on abortion. My guess is that too many don't want to offend conservative, wealthy donors who are unaware of and/or opposed to the Catholic social teaching.... They don't want to alienate their major donors."

Bishop John Sherlock, himself a participant in London's Jan. 18 peace rally, stressed the importance of the beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount. He also quoted the pope, who, at World Youth Day in Toronto, said, "The beatitudes are the Magna Carta of Christianity." Just as the Magna Carta was a declaration of freedom from tyranny, so, too, the beatitudes are a declaration of freedom from hate and violence.

Social teaching

The bishop admitted that Catholic social teaching, like teachings on peacemaking, has failed to make a dent in parish life. "The first thing we must acknowledge is that it's not going to be at the grassroots unless we start some groups at that level. That means social-justice committees that understand the need for systemic, fundamental change."

Bishop Sherlock read excerpts from a letter sent by the Canadian Council of Churches to Prime Minister Jean Chretien.

"Our Christian colleagues in that region have urged us to educate our own societies about how crushing the international sanctions have been ... pleading with us to speak against the threat of another war" (www.ccc-cce.ca/English/jp/Iraq02.htm). The bishop described his experience at the Jan. 18 demonstration in London, Ont., organized by the Muslim community. He said marchers wanted to demonstrate their solidarity with the people of Iraq who continue to suffer because of the destruction of the infrastructure that makes a city function, such as the water purification and sewage systems, destroyed in 1990, that have yet to be repaired. He also stressed that any change in their government must be decided by the Iraqi people themselves.