> Brothers: > This time I agree withthe Chief Druid of Cantuar. No war in Iraq! Blessings GDVW+ > Though the assembled Bishops gave a half-way, sort-of, > last resort blessing to a preemptive strike on Iraq, > many bishops, including ++Williams disapproved. > > Charles > ----------------------------------- > > > from THE TELEGRAPH U K > > Archbishop warns West of nuclear conflict over Iraq > By Jonathan Petre Religion Correspondent > (Filed: 05/11/2002) > > > War against Iraq could escalate into a nuclear > conflict and risk the lives of hundreds of thousands > of people in the Middle East, Dr Rowan Williams, the > next Archbishop of Canterbury, warns today. > > In his strongest criticism yet of military action, Dr > Williams says that a pre-emptive strike against Saddam > Hussein could "rapidly and uncontrollably spiral down > into chaos." > > > Dr Rowan Williams: asks 'whether the West is the best > judge of the needs of the region' > In an article in The Telegraph, he adds that to ignore > the fears of people in the area would leave the West > open to the criticism that it was behaving like a > colonial power. > > His comments are unlikely to endear him to Downing > Street, which is engaged in delicate negotiations over > the wording of a new resolution on Iraq expected to be > debated at the United Nations this week. > > Government officials have already privately voiced > their irritation at the anti-war rhetoric of Church of > England bishops and Dr Williams, who was selected for > the post of Archbishop by Tony Blair. > > Making his first public statement since the retirement > last Thursday of his predecessor, Dr George Carey, Dr > Williams recognises that the Iraqi regime is "brutal > and violent". However, pre-emptive action against > Saddam could "undermine the society of states" and > destabilise other parts of the world, a dangerous > prospect when a number of countries have weapons of > mass destruction. > > "The exact calculation of what weaponry might be > employed by a cornered Saddam Hussein is uncertain; > and so is the retaliation that might then be provoked > in the region from its sole nuclear power, Israel," he > says. > > An attack by the West is likely to "risk the lives of > hundreds of thousands in a region that could rapidly > and uncontrollably spiral down into chaos. We also > jeopardise any authority we might have to appeal for > restraint in other situations on the basis of > international law." > > The moral issue is whether the West is the best judge > of the needs of the region, especially when that > judgement appears to overrule local concerns. > > The Archbishop has been a consistent opponent of war > against Iraq since he signed a declaration in July > which described it as "illegal and immoral". On the > day of his appointment later that month he pledged to > continue asking "awkward questions". Dr Carey has also > been an outspoken critic of action against Iraq. > > <snip> > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site > http://webhosting.yahoo.com > > -- > To unsubscribe, send ANY message to > <faithandlife-unsubscribe@...> ----------------------------------------- This email was sent using FREE Catholic Online Webmail. Please tell your family, friends and children about COL Webmail! http://webmail.catholic.org/