Iraq War: Vatican Has Called For More Troops to Stabilze Iraq

It is widely known that the Vatican opposed the Iraq War in 2003 and the Persian Gulf War before that in 1991. What is not as widely known is that the Vatican has called on more countries to send troops to Iraq to stabilize the nation

In an interview with La Stampa on September 22, 2004 Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State said of Iraq:

"The child has been born. "It may be illegitimate, but it's here, and it must reared and educated."

Some have also given the false impression that Christianity demands we be pacificists. The Church's teaching on just war, which neither Pope John Paul II nor Pope Benedict XVI contradicted, is also not well known. Here is a link to this teaching in the Catechism stated in the context of 5th Commandment: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a5.htm

Some try to give the impression that if a person disagrees with the Vatican's position against the Iraq war, it is the same as dissenting against Catholic teaching.

In his memo to Cardinal McCarrick which was made public in July 2004, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger in his position as the Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faiith, made it clear that the Vatican's position against the Iraq War was not equivalent to the Church's teaching against abortion.

In his memo, Cardinal Ratzinger wrote the following:

"3. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."

See the complete memo at: http://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops/04-07ratzingerommunion.htm

At the end of this post see the words of Cardinal Camillo Ruini invoking the memory of September 11, 2001 of a clash of civilizations and his strong call for the international community to oppose organized terror with the greatest energy and determination.

Here is more on the Vatican's view of the situation in Iraq from:

http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=8460&eng=y

The follwing article was published September 29, 2004.

The Vatican Deploys its Divisions in Iraq – Under the Banner of NATO

An interview with Cardinal Sodano and an editorial in "Avvenire" invoke greater military support for Allawi's government and for the emerging Iraqi democracy, through a heavy deployment of troops from the Atlantic Alliance

by Sandro Magister

ROMA – The pope and the leaders of the Roman Church did not say it themselves, but they conveyed an unmistakable message. They are strongly in favor of a massive NATO commitment in Iraq, to support the government of Iyad Allawi and to guarantee free elections.

Speaking on their behalf, on the front page of its Sunday, September 26 edition, was the newspaper "Avvenire," which is headed by the Italian bishops' conference and by the organization's president, the pope's cardinal vicar, Camillo Ruini.

In an editorial by the newspaper's leading expert on international policy, Vittorio E. Parsi, a professor at the Catholic University of Milan, "Avvenire" reminded Europe and the West of its "duty" to assure free elections in Iraq, by reinforcing their military presence in the country through "the only body with the necessary resources: NATO."

An editorial so strongly exhortatory, printed on a Sunday on the front page of the bishops' newspaper, cannot be the result of chance. It is born from a decision made at the highest levels of the Church.

That such a decision was brewing could be guessed from a growing number of indications during the days immediately beforehand.

The first indication came on September 20. Cardinal Ruini spoke to the permanent council of the Italian bishops' conference, and repeated the duty of the Christian West to "oppose organized terror with the greatest energy and determination, without giving the slightest impression of considering their blackmail and their impositions," and at the same time, to transform into "our principal allies" the elements of the Muslim world that desire liberty and democracy.

Ruini is known to have been one of the protagonists of the apparent turnaround in Vatican policy on Iraq, in the fall of 2003: from the condemnation and rejection of war to determined support for the presence of western "peacekeeping" troops in the country.

The second indication came on Tuesday, September 21. An appeal was made in the newspaper "Il Foglio" for the Italian government to become a promoter within NATO and the European Union of a massive deployment of the troops of the Atlantic Alliance, "for the time necessary to secure the right of the Iraqis to vote and to select for the first time their parliament, their constitution, and their government."

The appeal was signed by Marta Dassù, the director of the magazine of the Aspen Institute in Italy; Giuliano Ferrara, the director of "Il Foglio"; Piero Ostellino, the former director of "Corriere della Sera," the leading Italian daily; and Vittorio E. Parsi, for "Avvenire." This last name is the most intriguing. Observers of Vatican affairs wondered to what extent, in taking this step, he was reflecting the orientation of pontifical diplomacy.

And the third indication gives an initial response to the question. On Wednesday, September 22, the New York correspondent of the newspaper "La Stampa," Paolo Mastrolilli, published an interview with the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Angelo Sodano (in the photo).

Sodano was in New York at the time for an international conference on world hunger, as a guest of the Vatican observer at the United Nations, Archbishop Celestino Migliore. In the interview, he expressed admiration for the United States and biting criticism of an excessively anti-American and secularist Europe, and also against the "wearing down" of the UN.

He was silent on the theory of preventive war. But he asked that the UN Charter recognize the right to intervene militarily in countries that trample upon human rights.

Sodano was elusive about what Cardinal Ruini calls the "global threat" of Islamic origin – as is the practice in Vatican diplomacy, which is anxious not to worsen conditions for the Christian minorities in Muslim countries. Sodano limited himself to speaking of "criminal gangs."

But he clearly defined as a "duty" the international community's support for the government of Iyad Allawi, independently of judgments about the war:

"The child has been born. It may be illegitimate, but it's here, and it must be reared and educated."

But he didn't say how to help Iraq concretely, especially in terms of the crucial passage of the future elections.

It was Vittorio E. Parsi who explained this – or, better, explained it again – in his editorial in the bishops' newspaper on Sunday, September 26. How? With "tens of thousands of soldiers" sent by NATO to complete the forces of the troops already in the field, both American and others.

Parsi expresses harsh criticism of the "laziness" of countries like France and of those who dream of rights undefended by the force of arms. But his strongest polemics are reserved for those who wish to "isolate" and "abandon" Iraq.

Vatican policy – he writes – is opposed to this. It was opposed when it came out against sanctions, which brought hunger to the people instead of isolating and overthrowing the tyranny of Saddam Hussein. And it is still opposed, when it asks, not for the withdrawal, but for the reinforcement of peacekeeping troops:

"It is no coincidence that those who authoritatively opposed both sanctions and the war now ask that the Iraqi people not be left defenseless."

Here, in its entirety, is the front page editorial from the Sunday, September 26, 2004 edition of "Avvenire":

Scenarios for Iraq. At this point, only the NATO card is left

by Vittorio E. Parsi

The situation in Iraq worsens by the day, confirming the easy predictions that the months between the appointment of the interim government headed by Allawi and the first free elections would be terrible. It must be said that the terrorists and the followers of the old regime are doing their best to bring about a plan as simple as it is outrageous: to isolate Iraq from the world, to feed a xenophobic war that may then leave them free to settle accounts in the only way they know, a brutal butcher's way.

What they want is, in fact, not "Iraq for the Iraqis," but "Iraq for the assassins," assassins above all of the Iraqi people. When the last foreigner – whether soldier or volunteer – leaves the country, the terrorists will have won, and the Iraqi people will again have lost. Thus all of Iraq will become a colossal common area for fundamentalist terrorism, for the brigands of Baath, and for the most extremist Shiite mullahs.

The international community, and the West, which objectively holds within this community the greatest share of power, culture, and responsibility, have the duty of blocking the realization of this plan.

The first necessary step in that direction is that of guaranteeing that the January elections be carried out as freely as possible. To accomplish this, it seems indispensable to identify the objectively qualified political-military instrument capable of translating these principles into action.

As difficult as the prospect may seem, and as arduous as obtaining the pledge may be, there is today only one instrument that has the necessary prerequisites: NATO.

The Atlantic Alliance, with its attitudes and counterbalances, is the multilateral institution that can assume the onus of protecting the right of the Iraqis to express their political will by voting.

Even the European countries that opposed the American decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime with a unilateral war know well that an Iraq in the hands of the worst terrorists and criminals goes against the interests of all: of the West as of the Arab-Islamic world. Thinking that the withdrawal of American troops would of itself permit the improvement of the situation, or even the reduction of concern, is pure naiveté. Moreover, the only condition that can bring about a reduction in the American presence in Iraq is the multilateralization of the crisis: including, and especially, from the military point of view.

So the West is again facing the decision of whether to marginalize Iraq or to anchor it more stably within the international community.

During the time of Saddam Hussein, for more than ten years, the disastrous decision was that of isolating him through sanctions: this brought hunger to the people and left intact the power of tyranny, a power that only an extremely controversial war was able to overthrow.

Today, in order to avoid "Islamist contagion,” some delude themselves that it may be possible to abandon Iraq behind a security barrier made of laziness and pretended indifference.

It is no coincidence that those who authoritatively opposed both sanctions and the war now ask that the Iraqi people not be left defenseless. What is at stake here is no longer the ambitious plan to export democracy through the force of arms, but allowing the force of arms to be employed to defend the right of the Iraqis to vote for their own parliament, which is the first and indispensable step to bring the country toward true autonomy, and away from the ravages of systematized violence.

* * *

And these are the salient passages of the interview with the Vatican secretary of state in "La Stampa," September 22, 2004:

Cardinal Sodano: “Why we must support Allawi”

by Paolo Mastrolilli


Q: What is your opinion on Iraq?

A: "I realize that opinions on the present situation in Iraq vary greatly because of the differing political orientations of those who nevertheless seek to examine the whole in a comprehensive view. But we should all agree on one thing: now we must help those people who live between the Tigris and the Euphrates to live in peace and to be reconciled among themselves. They have already suffered too much. Now we must help the Allawi government. In Europe, there is a discussion about the legitimacy of the new executive [in charge in Baghdad], and perhaps history's judgment on the intervention in Iraq will be severe. But we must face facts: the child has been born. It may be illegitimate, but it's here, and it must be reared and educated. Soon the government will even appoint an ambassador to the Holy See. The Holy See already has an apostolic nunzio in Baghdad, Archbishop Filoni, who has remained in Iraq throughout this difficult time. The present challenge is that of reconciliation. This is also the challenge issued by the Christians of Iraq, who remember well that it was there, in Ur of the Chaldeans, that the great adventure of the three great monotheistic religions began, with Abraham: Jews, Christians, and Muslims, who must recognize each other as children of the same omnipotent and merciful God."

Q: But the kidnappings and violence continue.

A: "This is often a matter of criminal gangs that are taking advantage of the lack of authority. This also happened to us, in Italy, at the end of the Second World War. I remember when I was a young man in Asti, and one day I heard shouting in the street. I came out, and I saw one man beating another. I came over to separate them, and the man being beaten told me that he had been a fascist, but had never touched his aggressor. Another young man had worse luck, and was found dead beneath a tree. Let's be clear: the nazis committed terrible atrocities. But how many crimes were committed in Italy after the war, for example in the Emilia Romagna region, because of the lack of authority! And yet our country is a cradle of civilization. Something similar is now happening in Iraq, where there is also an important political factor."

Q: What would that be?

A: "The terrorists know that a foothold of democracy in Baghdad would cause difficulty for the neighboring countries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, where one can still be imprisoned for the possession of a crucifix." [...]

Q: President Bush has spoken to the UN in a "glass palace" armored against the threat of terrorism.

A: "New York has seemed to me like a city under siege, but self-defense is a primary obligation. This anti-Americanism is easy in Europe, but someone who has been burned once has different priorities. Naturally, terrorism cannot be defeated solely through security measures and military instruments, but the people must be protected,"

Q: In the United States, faith and values play a central role.

A: "It's true. In the United States, religious values are deeply held. This is to the credit of this great country where a model of society has been created that other peoples should also reflect. Frequently, in Europe, the proper secularism of the state has degenerated into a militant secularism that erases the memory of the historical heritage of our continent." […]

Q: There is an intense debate in progress at the UN about reform. What is the position of the Holy See?

A: "Any human organization can be improved. The Holy See has always supported this institution, notwithstanding its exhaustion with the passage of time. John Paul II has often expressed hope that it will really become 'a family of nations', elevating itself from a purely administrative level. […] On the part of the Holy See, there is hope that a new principle that a new principle will be introduced into the Charter of the United Nations; that is, the possibility, even the duty, of 'humanitarian intervention' in extreme situations in which human rights are trampled upon within a country."
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Links to the newspapers in which appeared Parsi's editorial, the interview with Sodano, and the appeal for sending NATO troops to Iraq:

> Avvenire

> La Stampa

> Il Foglio
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The full text of the appeal from Parsi, Dassù, Ferrara, and Ostellino:

> “La proposta è questa: un solido contingente della NATO...”
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The salient passages, on Iraq and the Islamist "global menace," from the relation by Cardinal Camillo Ruini to the permanent council of the Italian bishops' conference on September 20, 2004:

"Three years after September 11, 2001, we must unfortunately recognize the fact that the foreshadowings and intentions of destruction contained in that terrible event continue to be played out in the world. In recent months, they have found ever more frequent and radical expression. Iraq has been, for some time now, the principal hotbed of destabilization. […] But Iraq is certainly not the only area and the sole motive of conflict. […] Faced with this global menace, which was unforeseen until just a few years ago, we are all put to the test: as individual peoples, as an international community, and even specifically as Christians. […] In effect, the international community must oppose organized terror with the greatest energy and determination, without giving even the impression of considering their blackmail and impositions. At the same time, it is called to work, insofar as possible and on different levels, to remove the causes of terrorism – cultural, moral, economic, and political – and to reclaim its areas of cultivation, which does not mean in any way giving terrorism itself alibis or justifications. In this arduous but necessary effort, our principal allies must be all those persons and groups that belong to Islam but do not acknowledge the ideology of the clash of civilizations, much less the strategy of terror."

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On this website, on the apparent turnaround of Vatican policy in the fall of 2003:

> Iraq: The Church Goes on a Mission of Peace (28.11.2003)

Also on this site, a selection of articles on Iraq and the Muslim world:

> Focus on ISLAM
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English translation by Matthew Sherry: > traduttore@hotmail.com

Go to the home page of > www.chiesa.espressonline.it/english, to access the latest articles and links to other resources.

Sandro Magister’s e-mail address is s.magister@espressoedit.it