Council of Bishops of Bush's Church calls for immediate Iraq withdrawal

"Every day that the war continues, more soldiers and innocent civilians are killed with no end in sight to the violence, bloodshed and carnage." — Council of Bishops resolution

By Linda Green
United Methodist News Service

Declaring war "incompatible with the teachings and example of Christ," the bishops of The United Methodist Church called on leaders of all nations to begin an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq.

The bishops also urged against deploying additional troops to Iraq and against establishing permanent military bases in the Middle Eastern country.

"This resolution is long overdue," said retired Bishop Clifton Ives before the Council of Bishops voted its approval on Nov. 9.

The action came during the council's semi-annual meeting at a United Methodist retreat center in western North Carolina. 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 called on the United States and other Coalition Force nations to initiate and support a plan for the reconstruction of Iraq, giving strong priority to the humanitarian and social needs of the Iraqi people. They urged increased support for veterans of the Iraq war and all wars.

The bishops said their position is based on Jesus Christ's call for "his followers to be peacemakers."

The resolution is the council's latest action questioning the Iraq war. In November 2005, the bishops urged U.S. President George W. Bush, who is United Methodist, to create a timeline to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq.
Casualties of war

Before the latest vote, the council wrestled with turning the resolution from having a U.S.-centric focus into one with global emphasis to care for all people impacted by the war.

The bishops cited the deaths of more than 3,843 U.S. soldiers, 171 members of the United Kingdom military, 132 members of other Coalition military, the wounding of 28,385 U.S soldiers and the deaths of at least 76,241 Iraqi civilians. They noted the war has 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.

(Read more at United Methodist News Service.)