CATHOLIC leaders around the world are urging caution and questioning whether a unilateral US attack would be morally justified.
The general Catholic consensus is that the United States needs international support in the form of a UN resolution before attacking, that US President George W. Bush has yet to make the case that Iraq was directly involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, or that Iraq’s military power presents an imminent danger to the international community.
Pope John Paul II expressed hope that an Iraqi decision to allow UN arms inspectors to return after four years would defuse the situation.
The Pope spoke about the situation at his September 18 general audience.
‘After the winds of war that threatened to throw turmoil into the entire Middle East region, good news has arrived regarding the possibility of a resumption of Iraq’s collaboration with the international community,’ he said.
Meanwhile, the US bishops said a unilateral pre-emptive strike cannot be justified at this time and asked President Bush ‘to step back from the brink of war’.
