Stated Clerk Sends Letter to the President, Outlining PCUSA Concerns

Dear President Bush:

I am writing to you on behalf of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to express appreciation for your leadership in responding to the crisis facing our nation and the world. We appreciate your efforts to devise a broad-based and multi-faceted response to the attacks on New York and Washington, DC on September 11, 2001, recognizing that the threat of networks such as Al Qaeda must be met with a number of diverse strategies and require us to make common cause with an extremely diverse coalition of partners around the world. This is consistent with our own policies that the best hope of addressing such conflicts lies in our cooperation with other partners, especially through the United Nations.

Given our own strong commitment to interfaith dialogue, we are particularly grateful for your encouraging Americans to respect Islam and people who are assumed to be of Middle Eastern origin. We join you in calling for religious and ethnic tolerance in this time of crisis for us all.

Our General Assemblies have urged on many occasions that in the resolution of international conflicts, every non-violent alternative be employed before there is a resort to the use of violence. We have been especially encouraged by your restraint in the use of military force over the past month.

Now that the military phase of your campaign has begun to unfold, we wish to voice some concerns that grow out of long-standing policies of our General Assembly:

1. While our theological tradition as Presbyterians supports the limited use of force to protect the weak and to restrain evil, that has been understood as a means of last resort, which can never be more than a temporary solution to conflict. Lasting peace and security can only be found in negotiation, and in the assurance of justice for all parties. In Afghanistan it is especially critical that the military phase be followed by the establishment of institutions of governance that are broadly supported by the people and are respectful of their cultural traditions.
   
   
2. U.S. military spokespersons suggest that the high-technology weapons we have launched are 75% to 80% effective in hitting their intended targets with precision. One can only surmise that the other 25% to 30% will cause unintended damage to a people already devastated by years of war. Indeed, we know that the attacks have already resulted in the death of innocent civilians, including Afgahnis working on the UN land mine removal project. Moreover, the use of heavy bombers will surely result in further damage to an environment already devastated by drought and windstorms.
   
   
3. In spite of the various forms of cooperation offered by much of the Arabic and Islamic world, we are aware that many Muslims around the world have deep misgivings about the bombings in Afghanistan and that many already see these attacks as an attack on Islam itself, notwithstanding your assertions to the contrary. That perception is only exacerbated by such things as the routine references in the reports of the BBC to the air campaign as "retaliatory attacks on Afghanistan." A long sustained campaign of air attacks on Afghanistan or evidence of civilian casualties, could lead to the rapid evaporation of that support, endanger the whole effort to root out those who planned and perpetrated the September 11 attacks and other previous acts of terror, and lead to a cycle of violence that none of us desire.
   
   
4. Millions of the Afghani people are starving, and while high-altitude air-drops may provide some help, they are of limited effect and may actually expose recipients to danger as they try to retrieve the packets in areas laced with land mines. As the number of refugees continues to grow rapidly, it is imperative that every effort be made to create secure zones in which the many groups "on the ground" who are experts in providing food-aid can operate effectively. Otherwise, a tragic number of people will die in the approaching winter and even before.
   
   
5. At the same time that you seek to end terrorism we hope you will also give serious attention to other priorities which are crucial for lasting peace in relation to nations in the Middle East. We particularly implore you to work to support justice for the Palestinian people, to end the sanctions that cause suffering to so many people in Iraq, and to support efforts for human rights, economic development, and religious tolerance among all the peoples of the Middle East. These actions will go a long way toward removing many of the tensions that lead to terrorist actions.

As you continue to face challenges not previously encountered by a President, please know that you and those who advise you are in our prayers. We also pray daily for the men and women in uniform and for the millions of Afghani citizens for whom life under the Taliban has been almost impossible and for whom this war now creates even greater terror and dislocation.

As I am sure you know, the membership of our Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which I am privileged to serve, includes many capable and distinguished leaders in the fields of business, science, politics at every level, the military, as well as the helping professions. That can be said, as well, of the other so-called "mainline denominations." I believe I can speak for my ecumenical colleagues, as well as for myself, in offering our service to you and your administration and our eagerness to be in dialogue with you about the moral and spiritual perspectives of our communions for the crisis facing our nation and the world.

Further, I am pleased to share with you a pastoral letter sent to all Presbyterians by our General Assembly Mission Council, the elected body responsible for carrying out the programs of our denomination in response to the policies established by our General Assembly. You will see from this letter genuine appreciation for your leadership, and especially for all who have performed so heroically in response to the September 11 tragedy. You will also see a call to both prayer and action as we, as a people, find our way together into a future of peace and security grounded in true liberty and justice for all.

Yours in the Name of Jesus Christ,

Clifton Kirkpatrick
Stated Clerk of the General Assembly