BLESS the Peacemakers – don’t attack them!
Recent editions of The Catholic Leader have publicised the efforts of some members of the Catholic Worker movement protesting and attempting to disrupt the training of servicemen and women on Exercise Talisman Sabre in central Queensland.
The majority of these troops have either just returned from peacemaking service in the Solomons, Timor or Afghanistan, or are just about to go there.
This training is vital to their personal survival, let alone the success of their mission to restore peace and security to our neighbours in distress.
They feel the pain more than most Australians, of the tragedy of conflict, and many of them carry lifelong emotional scars from their service in the cause of peace.
And yet still they serve.
You will not find more ardent advocates for peace and freedom than our returned servicepeople.
Many of them are Catholic and most of them are Christian.
They offer their lives in the service of peace.
They and their families do not understand why Catholic people would be trying to interfere with their critical preparation for the dangers of confronting evil.
They already have the toughest of jobs to do. They need our thanks and blessing, not disruptive protests.
DEACON GARY STONE
The Gap, Qld
