Bishops call for Iraq troop withdrawal

United Methodist News Service
LAKE JUNALUSKA, N.C.—Declaring war “incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ,” United Methodist bishops called all nations Nov. 9 to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
Bishops urged no additional troop deployments to Iraq or permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country.
The bishops said their position was based on Jesus Christ’s call for “his followers to be peacemakers.”
“This resolution is long overdue,” said retired Bishop Clifton Ives before the Council of Bishops approved the measure.
The action came during the council’s semiannual meeting. The council represents 11.5 million United Methodists in the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines. About 125 active and retired bishops from across the globe attended the Nov. 4-9 gathering.
In addition to calling for the immediate, safe and full withdrawal of troops, the bishops urged the United States and other coalition nations to initiate and support a plan for Iraq reconstruction, giving strong priority to the humanitarian and social needs of the people. Bishops also encouraged increased support for veterans of the Iraq war and all wars.
The resolution is the council’s latest action questioning the Iraq war. In November 2005 the bishops urged President Bush, a United Methodist, to create a timeline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
Before the Nov. 9 vote, the council wrestled for two days with turning the resolution from a U.S.-centric focus into one with global emphasis to care for all people affected by the war.
The bishops cited the deaths of more than 3,843 U.S. soldiers, 171 British troops and 132 members of other coalition forces; the wounding of 28,385 U.S soldiers; and the deaths of at least 76,241 Iraqi civilians. The bishops noted the war had displaced 2 million people and made refugees of 1 million others.
“Every day that the war continues, more soldiers and innocent civilians are killed with no end in sight to the violence, bloodshed and carnage,” the resolution says.
The bishops called on United Methodists throughout the world to pray for peace; sponsor regular prayer vigils for congregations and communities; and care for all impacted by the war, including honoring the dead, healing the wounded and calling for an end to the war.
Retired Bishop Jack Meadors of Edisto Beach, S.C., noted that 2007 had been the deadliest year for U.S. forces since the Iraq war began in 2003. He predicted the 4,000th American combat death would occur between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“The Iraq war is not just a political issue or a military issue,” Meadors said. “It is a moral issue. War is sin. It is evil. War is incompatible with the teachings of Jesus.”
Calling the resolution “a faith-based statement,” Meadors said Christians must be “peacemakers that we might be known as children of God.”
Bishop James Swanson of the Holston Conference said President Bush’s intentions for entering the war may have been noble but that the results have been deadly.
“We as bishops are concerned about the loss of lives and any resulting effect once the war ends and the troops are removed,” Swanson said.
Once troops leave, he added, “the church needs to be about helping the Iraqi people rebuild their lives.”