* FINAL VERSION - Concurred
Resolution:A041
Title:War in Iraq
Topic:Warfare
Committee:09 - National and International Concerns
House of Initial Action:Deputies
Proposer:Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the76th General Convention commend new government strategies that seek to restore trust among nations and work to alleviate the conditions that lead to the War in Iraq; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge all Episcopalians to support independent international relief efforts such as those of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent to bring healing to this deeply broken nation; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge all Episcopalians to use Christian formation materials that stress nonviolent methods to conflict resolution and change; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the President and Congress to abide by the demand of the Iraqi government to withdraw all U.S. combat forces from Iraq by December 31, 2011; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the President and Congress to listen to and consider deeply the voices and concerns of the Iraqi people in determining our continuing relationship with that sovereign nation, including the establishment of permanent U.S. bases and the presence of military and non-military personnel; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge the President and Congress and our entire nation to seek wisdom from sin committed in Iraq and let that wisdom inform future relationships throughout the world; and be it further

Resolved, That we urge all Episcopalians to honor through their prayers and actions the men and women who conscientiously serve their country, those who have been killed and wounded in Iraq and those who conscientiously object to this war, all war, or selected wars.


EXPLANATION

As Christians we follow our Lord through a process of discipleship that involves confession, repentance and amendment of life as a way to be more perfectly formed into the Body of Christ. Even sin committed with best intentions must be confessed so we may receive forgiveness and enter into the risen life of Christ. While there may be honest and faithful disagreement over whether intentions were good and sin was intended in Iraq, it is plain that sin was committed, and so our Lord calls us to confess, repent and amend our lives.

We have much to confess and much we have confessed already. On October 1, 2002, the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church sent a letter to members of Congress in which they argued that the conditions for a just war had not been met in the national government's decision to attack the nation of Iraq. Nevertheless, the Armed Forces of the United States invaded Iraq in 2003.

The results of our invasion have been catastrophic. More than 4,500 members of the United States Armed Forces and Coalition Forces have been killed as part of the ongoing combat operations in Iraq. The Defense Department's official tally of U.S. wounded is more than 30,000 with many independent estimates surpassing three times that number-not counting hundreds of thousands of combat veterans returning home with some level of traumatic brain injury. There is no official reckoning of Iraqi innocents killed but independent estimates range from 90,000 to 1.3 million. In addition, according to Oxfam, "Eight million people are in urgent need of emergency aid; that figure includes over two million who are displaced within the country, and more than two million refugees. Many more are living in poverty, without basic services, and increasingly threatened by disease and malnutrition."

Sin is sin. But even if the most conservative estimates are to be believed, the scope of the death, destruction and displacement that have occurred during our invasion and occupation of Iraq is so vast and the brokenness rendered so deep that the repentance needs to be of similar depth and guided by the will of the people whom we have wronged.

The best indicator we have of the will of the Iraqi people is the Status of Forces Agreement passed by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanding that all US troops in the country be withdrawn from Iraqi cities and towns by June 30, 2009, and from all of Iraq by December 31, 2011. Repentance and amendment of life begins with complying with this demand but does not end there. We must seek out, listen to and deeply consider the will of the Iraqi people in considering our future relationship with that nation, particularly as it pertains to any permanent American presence on Iraqi soil. If we are truly to be penitent and follow Christ's call to amend our lives in the face of our sin, we must commit to such listening and being guided by the will of sovereign peoples in all our relationships around the world.


* Note: The final language, as well as the final status of each resolution, is being reviewed by the General Convention office. The Journal of the 76th General Convention and the Constitution and Canons will be published once the review process has been completed.