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http://www.desmoinescatholicworker.org/nationalcwgathering.htm This is interesting... With Burning Sorrow!
Catholic Worker Statement to the US Bishops on the War in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Military Commission Act
We are Catholic Workers from across the United States and Europe who have come together in Iowa to celebrate special anniversaries of a number of our houses, to pray and reflect about what God calls us to at this critical moment in history, and to recommit ourselves to the Catholic Worker vision of creating a new society in the shell of the old.
In our various communities we have daily contact with the victims of our society. Thus, we strive to do the works of mercy and to follow Jesus� command to be nonviolent witnesses for peace and justice. As we confront the unrelenting violence and assaults on human life and our endangered earth, we repent for our own complicity in our culture of violence, and call on our church and all people of faith and goodwill to do the same. Taking the Sermon on the Mount as our Christian manifesto, we commit ourselves to upholding the sacredness of all life, wherever it is threatened.
As a world community, we find ourselves in a complex and dangerous moral crisis. Longstanding cultural compulsions have obscured the basic teachings of Christ. We have become the wealthiest nation in the history of humankind and the price we have paid is the collective loss of our souls. The ongoing efforts of militarization and exploitation of global resources have pushed us to a level of accepting the unacceptable. Pre-emptive war and the slaughter of innocents is being carried out in our names and for profit. A creeping apathy has allowed room for extreme abuses such as torture and the destruction of whole social fabrics. We are violating our own spiritual principles and civil laws to attain excessive creature comforts while others suffer from unimaginable deprivation and violence. We are living a lifestyle that demands war and distracts from our true calling of loving and caring for one another. Our path to redemptions lies in the repudiation of domination and embracing the daily need of service to the vulnerable.
The teaching of St. Paul tells us that when the health of one member of our community is suffering, the health of the whole body is lowered. We must make this crisis into an opportunity to move forward and carry on Christ�s message without compromise. In the face of nuclear capabilities we have no other choice. God, the victims, and timeless prophetic voices call on us, the Church, the body of Christ, to repent from the sins of war, torture, and killing, from the making of widows and orphans, and from the fruitless works of darkness resulting in the last century being the bloodiest on record.
We as Christians recognize that the Christ, whom we worship, was himself a victim of torture. We are called to end his ongoing crucifixion which has been made manifest in our nation�s policies. This is particularly relevant in the Military Commission Act of 2006. It is with burning sorrow that we look around at the world in which we live at the suffering, war, torture, and killing of our brothers and sisters, and realize that the response of both ourselves and our Church has been wholly inadequate. We cry out to be part of a Church that prays and works for peace, loves our enemies, and embraces the redemptive power of forgiveness. We cry out for a Church that speaks without fear of consequences, including loss of revenues.
We understand that we live in a time of great fear and peril. We need to remind ourselves that we are not to fear those that can kill the body, but instead to fear those that can kill the soul. Our domestic and foreign policies have left us a nation without a soul.
We call on our Church to be a prophetic voice, a sanctuary, and a source of encouragement to those who want to work together in community towards peace and justice. To this we recommend:
� Prayer, fasting, vigiling, and nonviolent civil resistance to end the military occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
� That all soldiers refuse to participate in these wars.
� That the Church actively support and encourage conscientous objectors.
� That all US military and private contractors refuse to engage in torture.
� The closing of Guantanamo and other secret US military prisons.
� The eradication of the Military Commission Act of 2006.
� Redirect our resources from war making and exploitation to meeting human needs and saving our planet.
� An equitable redistribution of resources by simplifying our materialistic lifestyle.
� All people of faith and goodwill join us for a nonviolent action in Washington, D.C. on January 11, 2007, the fifth anniversary of the first prisoners arriving at Guantanamo, to call for its closing.
As we approach this season of Advent and Christmas, let us be people of light. "The Light shines in darkness and the darkness does not overcome it." (John 1:5)
(This statement was presented on the 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, AD 2006, and endorsed by those attending the National Catholic Worker Gathering, October 19-21, 2006, at St. Thomas More Youth Camp, Panora, Iowa.)
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Originally posted by ebed melech:
This is interesting... I think that this statement is actually rather boring, but it is exactly what I would expect from the radical liberals that run the "Catholic Workers" movement.
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The Catholic Worker movement, from Dorothy Day (may she pray for us!) until right now, would consider the term "radical" a compliment, but would roundly deny being "liberal". I strongly recommend reading Dorothy Day's biography, A Harsh and Terrible Love, to find the inspiration of the Catholic Worker. She used to attend Saint Michael's in New York every now and then, and was quite close to Catherine Doherty.
Fr. Serge
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Although I don't agree with everything that was declared, it is good that our Christian conscience be reminded of what should be our primary concern; that is for our soul, not our politics or social and economic comfort. � That all soldiers refuse to participate in these wars. I strongly disagree with this statement, for no one has been drafted into the military against his/her will. A soldier should not be in the military if they do not intend to follow orders. Yes, very interesting and provocative. It resounds much of Romanian Catholic Bishop John Michael Botean's pastoral message about the war not being a "just" war.
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Originally posted by Serge Keleher:
The Catholic Worker movement, from Dorothy Day (may she pray for us!) until right now, would consider the term "radical" a compliment, but would roundly deny being "liberal". I strongly recommend reading Dorothy Day's biography, A Harsh and Terrible Love, to find the inspiration of the Catholic Worker. She used to attend Saint Michael's in New York every now and then, and was quite close to Catherine Doherty.
Fr. Serge Fr. Serge, Thank you for responding to my post. I read an excellent book many years ago that contained letters written by Dorothy Day (many of the letters contained Eucharistic meditations), and I enjoyed the book immensely. Nevertheless, I reject the liberal political activism of the present day "Catholic" workers movement. God bless, Todd
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I also support the Zoghby Initiative
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I also support the Zoghby Initiative
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What in the world is wrong with these recommendations? How are any of them against Catholic teachings? Why does anyone who is following the Churches teachings regarding war accussed of being a radical liberal?????????????
WHY WOULD ANYONE HERE ALLOW TORTURE AT GUANTANAMO BAY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY?
I am the most traditional person there is...Just because I disagree with evil actions...does this make me a hippie????
COME UP SPEAK UP...
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I also support the Zoghby Initiative
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I also support the Zoghby Initiative
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I don't know much about the Catholic Worker Movement. I think it's strange that there are buddhists and quakers in it. I'm not claiming there aren't problems in it, maybe there is a che guevera poster somewhere in their house (so I was told), or maybe there isn't.
But these statements right here..is anything really wrong with them?
God bless them for doing something few people have the courage to say...right?
I dont understand any of this...Is it that only left wing liberal radicals stand up for privacy and human rights?
I for one will join them in Washington and find out what they think and other people think of them. They seem like an invaluable group if they can be reasonable and orthodox catholics yet still radical in the way Dorothy intended.
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The war against Islamic terrorism is just; and thus I support it. Moreover, a member of my family is presently serving in Iraq defending innocent persons both there and in the USA by his actions.
God bless,
Todd
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Dear Todd,
In turn, thank you for responding to my post. It's been many years since I was personally in touch with the Catholic Worker, or even seen their newspaper, so I don't know much of what's going on with them these days. However, the statement posted at the beginning of this thread is certainly in line with what they have been saying and doing since Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin got them going.
That they are radical pacifists is not news. The Church teaches that people have a right to adopt and promote that position, even though at present the Church herself does not require such a position of all her members.
The late Cardinal Ottaviani was a man whom no one will describe as "liberal" - given his position on so many questions at Vatican II and afterwards anyone who did so describe him would be laughed out of the discussion. However, it is worth remembering that Cardinal Ottaviani believed and openly said that in consequence of the new up-to-date weaponry developed around World War II and thereafter, the Christian "just war theory" had become irrelevant, and pacifism was the only consistent and accurate position for a Christian. That such a conservative figure could and did take such a position demonstrates, first, that the Cardinal, despite his detractors, was not some sort of ultra-conservative automaton, incapable of thought, and, second, that the "liberals" have no monopoly on opposing war.
As to the specific issue of the US presence in Iraq, it's probably best that we agree to differ. Since I am certainly in no position to compel the US government to get out of Iraq, and you are probably in no position to compel the US government to remain in Iraq, there's no practical reason for you and me to argue the matter.
Thank you again for your response.
Fr. Serge
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Originally posted by Serge Keleher:
Dear Todd,
[. . .]
That they are radical pacifists is not news. The Church teaches that people have a right to adopt and promote that position, even though at present the Church herself does not require such a position of all her members.
The Church has no power whatsoever to enforce a pacifist position on all her members, because issues like the death penalty, the right to self defense, and just war, are a part of the Church's infallible tradition. God bless, Todd P.S. - Yes, as far as the issue of the war in Iraq is concerned, we will have to agree to disagree.
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Todd writes that: issues like the death penalty, the right to self defense, and just war, are a part of the Church's infallible tradition. Forgive me, but I know of absolutely nothing to support the suggestion that the death penalty is a part of the Church's infallible tradition. The same applies, still more strongly, to the just war theory - it is precisely that, a theory. There have been periods in the history of the Church when soldiers were denied Baptism. The right to self-defense is, I would be inclined to say, maintained by the ordinary magisterium, but sufficiently hedged about as to make it more than doubtful that one may claim infallibility for it. For the sake of Christ, forgive me. Father Serge
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AthanasiusTheLesser Member
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Originally posted by Apotheoun:
The war against Islamic terrorism is just; and thus I support it. Moreover, a member of my family is presently serving in Iraq defending innocent persons both there and in the USA by his actions.
God bless,
Todd Dear Todd: I think a case for just war against "Islamic terrorism" could be made. I don't think the specific war in Iraq can be justified under just war principles-I'm strongly opposed to it, as well as to the concept of pre-emptive war, which is among the justifications President Bush has used to justify the war. There is no room for doubt about the fact that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power, but that alone does not satisfy the requirements for just war. If it did, then we would be obligated to start many more wars across the globe for the purpose of removing cruel tyrants. Having said that, I don't believe that it is right for me or anyone else who opposes war to dishonor the member of your family or anyone else who serves honorably-we don't ask soldiers and sailors to make the decision as to whether any given war can be justified morally and practically speaking, we cannot afford to do so. It is my prayer that this unjustt war be ended soon and that all those serving return home alive and well. In peace, Ryan
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AthanasiusTheLesser Member
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I don't understand the enthusiasm for the death penalty that I have seen on this Forum. Yes, it is true that the Catholic Church affirms the right of legitimate authorities to use the death penalty when lesser means would not suffice to prevent a threat to society. However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "If bloodless means are sufficient to defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of persons, public authority should limit itself to such means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human person." (Part III, Article 5, 2267) There are "bloodless means" available to us-we have no need for the death penalty.
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Originally posted by Apotheoun:
Moreover, a member of my family is presently serving in Iraq defending innocent persons both there and in the USA by his actions.
God bless,
Todd Like Todd, I have a brother who served in Iraq, and in fact was shot in the chest on his birthday in Nazarea two weeks following the slaughter of soldiers that occured in the first few weeks of the war at "Ambush Alley" (I thank God for kevlar everyday, since his life was spared...). I have heard protests like the one I posted above saying that Iraq is an unjust war. Can someone please explain to me, from a Catholic point of view, what makes this particular conflict unjust? I am no pacifist, and believe that to fight can even be virtuous in the right circumstances. What makes the war in Iraq unjust? To me it is not a liberal/conservative, Democrat/Republican issue...it is an issue of morality. God bless, Gordo
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One of the classic conditions for a just war is that success must be certain. That alone makes the situation in Iraq highly problematic from the standpoint of the just war theory.
Fr. Serge
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