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Catholic no justify war Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20030120.htmhttp://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20030120.htm
Mexican cardinal says war with Iraq would be 'disgrace to humanity'
MEXICO CITY (CNS) -- A Mexican cardinal criticized plans for a potential war against Iraq and urged Western powers to choose the path of peace and dialogue. "There does not have to be a war. It would be a disgrace to humanity if we go down this path," Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera of Mexico City told reporters after Mass in the city's main cathedral Jan. 19. With a rapid buildup of British and U.S. troops in the Middle East, analysts predict the allies could attack Iraq before the end of February. Advocates of war argue Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's access to alleged weapons of mass destruction poses a dangerous threat to the West. But Cardinal Rivera said the possibilities for peace have not yet been exhausted. "There are many paths toward peace. We must see dialogue among the nations," said Cardinal Rivera.
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Speakers: Faith leaders must not let Scripture be used to justify war
ROME (CNS) -- When a religion's Scriptures are used to promote violence, leaders of that faith must react publicly and forcefully to defend the call to peace and justice, said participants at a Vatican conference. "The Scriptures of each religion teach the path to peace, but we acknowledge that our various sacred writings have often been and continue to be used to justify violence, war and exclusion of others," they said in a Jan. 18 statement. Three dozen leaders representing Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism met Jan. 16-17 at the Vatican to discuss the "spiritual resources of religions for peace." The private meeting, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, was followed by a Jan. 18 public forum in Rome. The main talks at the forum were by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington and Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem.
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Walking with St. Francis: Thousands brave cold to protest Iraq war
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Numerous Catholic representatives were among tens of thousands of demonstrators who braved bitter cold Jan. 18 in Washington to protest a possible U.S. war on Iraq. "I want to be an alternate voice to the madness," Maria Scharfenberger, a social worker from a Louisville, Ky., Catholic Worker house of hospitality, told Catholic News Service. "The direction we're headed in is very scary ... the message is not loud enough or clear enough. There are an awful lot who don't want war." Under a blue sky burned cloudless and clear by the cold, some of those "awful lot" gathered on the national Mall in a motley mass -- of people, banners and tables full of informational books and pamphlets -- that resonated with beating drums, smelled of burning sage and sprawled from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument. "I wanted to walk in the steps of Francis (of Assisi) and remind people peace is what we need to be about," Franciscan Brother Ray Smith said, his breath visible in the cold air.
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