Iraq

The Catholic bishops stepped up their efforts to end the war in Iraq by seeking to meet with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress, according to a news release on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

The U.S. bishops have asked to meet with Republican members of the House of Representatives to discuss a “responsible transition” to end the war in Iraq. The bishops also reiterated their call for members of Congress and the Administration to break the political stalemate in Washington and to pursue a bipartisan policy to end the war as soon as possible.

The request was outlined in a letter from Bishop Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Florida, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on International Policy, to Rep. John A. Boehner (R/Ohio), House minority leader.

The letter followed a similar one in response to Rep. Tim Ryan (D/Ohio) and 13 other House Democrats who had sent a letter June 28 asking to meet on Iraq.

“Too many Iraqi and American lives have been lost. Too many Iraqi communities have been shattered. Too many civilians have been driven from their homes. The human and financial costs of the war are staggering,” Bishop Wenski said.

“The current situation in Iraq is unacceptable and unsustainable, as is the policy and political stalemate among decision makers in Washington. Our Conference hopes to work with the Congress and the Administration to forge bipartisan policies on ways to bring about a responsible transition and an end to the war,” he added.

The rest of the article is here. Several statements the bishops issued regarding Iraq may be found on their website here.