Catholic Social Teaching and Issues of War and Peace

This page provides some resources on war and peace issues as our nation is engaged in a war on terrorism as well as the continued military engagement in Iraq.  Click here to see the cost of the war in Iraq.  The following are the five sections outlined below:  (1) War and Catholic Social Teaching, (2) Information on the situation in Iraq (3) How to take action against the war, (4) Useful links, and (5) Prayers for peace.

(1) War & Catholic Social Teaching

Pope calls for Fast Against War with Iraq  "We Christians in particular are called upon to be sentinels of peace."

Statement on Iraq of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, November 13, 2002   "Our assessment of these questions leads us to urge that our nation and the world continue to pursue actively alternatives to war in the Middle East."

Position paper of US Conference of Catholic Bishops, February, 2003  "Addressing Iraq's weapons of mass destruction must be matched by broader and stronger non-proliferation measures that are grounded in the principle of mutual restraint."

The Position of Pope John Paul II as reported in the New York Times  "As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations."

Letter from the US Jesuit Provincials on Iraq  "We judge war on Iraq at this time to be a preventive war and as such to violate just-war standards and international law."

February Papal Efforts for Peace  "If every country which feels threatened attacks first, there will be war without end on the entire planet."

(2) Information on the situation in Iraq

A personal e-mail report from Iraq by Sheila Provencher  "All I can say is that this is an intolerable, horrible situation.  We went to a shelter that was bombed in 1991 – 408 innocent women and children killed.  Their blood and the outlines of their bodies are still imprinted on the walls.  I can’t type about it without crying, because it’s not just something in the past, it’s something that may be about to happen again.  A war will only hurt these ordinary people who live here."

The Iraqi Journal of Scott Wright  "Let us make our own, the words of the prophets: "Nations shall not lift up swaord against nation, neither shall they learn way anymore" (Isaiah 2:4).

Counting the Dead, a newsreport of 1/29/03 -  "In the event of war, how many Iraqi civilians will die? And how many will starve, or be displaced?"

The Cost of the War "The cost of the war is likely to be 100 billion dollars."

(3) How to take action against the war

Send a letter to the president and your congress people to oppose the war with Iraq.

  • Go to the web site of NETWORK, the Catholic Social Justice Lobby at http://www.networklobby.org/
  • Click on the Legislative Action Center
  • Put in your zip code
  • Click on Iraq and follow the easy instructions

OR

  • Go to the web site of FCNL, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker lobby group at http://www.fcnl.org
  • Click on "Take Action Now"
  • Click on "legislative action center"
  • Select one of the letters and follow theinstructions


(4) Useful links

Pax Christi USA, the Catholic Peace Organization

United for Peace, the coalition of groups working to stop the war

Center of Concern

(5) Sixteen Prayers for Peace

A Prayer for Peace

Creator God,
in love you have fashioned the human family
in a variety of races, languages, and cultures.
Do not let our diversity divide us,
but help us to welcome gifts
we can give and receive from one another.
Save us from prejudice, arrogance and fear,
and teach us how to live together
as members of one family,
sharing one home,
and the children of one God. Amen.

Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors,
I raise my pipe to you.
To your messengers the four winds, and
to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children
to love, to respect, and to be kind to each
other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all good things that
you provide for us on this Earth.

Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wilderness--
the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

Bahai' Prayer for Peace

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness,
and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light
unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Sikh Prayer for Peace

God adjudges us according
to our deeds,
not the coat that we wear:
that truth is above everything,
but higher still is truthful living.
Know that we attain God when we love,
and only that victory
endures in consequences of which no
one is defeated.

Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.

Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome,
and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all,
and may that peace come to me also.

Jewish Prayer for Peace

Come let us go up the mountain of
the Lord, that we may walk the
paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation--
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the
Lord of Hosts has spoken.

Muslim Prayer for Peace

In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe
who has created us and made us into tribes and nations,
that we may know each other,
not that we may despise each other.

If the enemy incline towards peace,
do thou also incline towards peace, and trust God,
for the Lord is the one that hears and knows all things.
And the servants of God, Most Gracious,
are those who walk on the Earth in humility,
and when we address them, we say "PEACE."

Christian Prayer for Peace

Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS,
for they shall be known as the Children of God.

But I say to you that hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.

To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.

Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods,
do not ask them again. And as you wish
that others would do to you, so do to them.

Shinto Prayer for Peace

Although the people living
across the ocean surrounding us,
I believe, are all our brothers and sisters,
why are there constant troubles in this world?

Why do winds and waves rise
in the ocean surrounding us?

I only earnestly wish that the wind will
soon puff away all the clouds which are
hanging over the tops of the mountains.

Jainist Prayer for Peace

Peace and Universal Love is the essence
of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones.

The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma.
Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.

Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.

Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world.

Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
"Do not injure any living being."
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life.

A weapon howsoever powerful it may be,
can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however,
be superior to non-violence and love.

From the Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland

Almighty God,
all thoughts of truth and peace proceed from you.
Kindle in the hearts of all people the true love of peace.
Guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth;
that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of your love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer of St Francis
 
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, vision.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

A Prayer for a Vision

Grant us, Lord God, a vision of our land as your love would make it:
- a land where the weak are protected, and none go hungry or poor;
- a land where the benefits of civilized life are shared, and everyone can enjoy them;
- a land where different races and cultures live in tolerance and mutual respect;
- a land where peace is built with justice, and justice is guided by love.

A Simple Prayer in Troubled Times
 
God of love, 
turn our hearts to your ways;
and give us peace.
Amen.

An Orthodox Christian Prayer for Peace

Almighty God and Creator, you are the 
Father of all people on the earth. 
Guide, I pray all the nations and their leaders 
in the ways of justice and peace. 
Protect us from the evils of injustice, 
prejudice, exploitation, conflict and war. 
Help us to put away mistrust, bitterness and hatred. 
Teach us to cease the storing and using of implements of war. 
Lead us to find justice, peace and freedom. 
Unite us in the making and creating of the tools of peace 
against ignorance, poverty, disease and oppression. 
Grant that we may grow in harmony and friendship as brothers and sisters created in Your image,
to Your honor and praise.  Amen.