CATHOLICS CONDEMN MURDER OF ARCHBISHOP RAHHO; URGE END TO IRAQ WAR

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good sent out the release below yesterday. I am sure though that GWB will make no mention of the loss of the Archbishop as he takes to the airwaves today to tout success in the war he declared "Mission Accomplished" in FIVE YEARS AGO.


Today Catholic social justice organizations from across the country joined together to issue the following statement regarding the murder of Chaldean Archbishop Paul Faraj Rahho. His body was found on March 13 in a shallow grave near Mosul , Iraq .

The brutal murder of Archbishop Faraj Rahho is another tragic reminder that “war is always a defeat for humanity.” - Pope John Paul II, Jan. 23, 2003

Today, we join with other Catholic, Jewish and Muslim leaders around the word to express our profound sorrow at this loss and denounce this callous act of terrorism against a true prophet of peace.

From the depths of grief, we find hope in Archbishop Rahho’s tireless commitment to his country and to building a world where the children of God will never again kill each other in the name of religion, tribe or ethnicity. Together in solidarity with the people of Iraq and the United States , we recommit ourselves with more determination than ever before to help end the horror of this unjust war.

As people of faith called to be peacemakers, we must express our moral outrage at our own government’s role in perpetuating violence and death in Iraq . As we approach the fifth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq tomorrow, we again urge our political leaders to seek a responsible withdrawal of troops. Political, diplomatic and economic solutions to rebuilding Iraq must be emphasized over a failed policy of endless war.

We join with Pope Benedict XVI, who said on Palm Sunday: “Enough with the bloodshed, enough with the violence, enough with the hatred in Iraq .”

Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

Catholics United

Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Justice and Peace Director

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

Pax Christi, USA

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas , Institute Justice Team

The Joan and Ralph Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, University of San Francisco