BRITAIN: Church leaders warned the United States and Britain against war with Iraq in current circumstances in a remarkable display of Christian unity during their Christmas messages.
From the Pope to the new Archbishop of Canterbury, there were warnings that a war could not be justified. In the US too, church leaders from all the main denominations except the fundamentalist Southern Baptists have told President Bush they oppose the war.
In a Christmas night broadcast, Dr Rowan Williams, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, spoke elliptically about "complicated people" creating havoc. "It is as if the wise, the devious and the resourced can't help but make the most immense mistakes of all," he said.
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, told his congregation at Westminster Cathedral: "We must never give up and assume that war is inevitable. Let us pray... that each one of us, particularly those involved in international diplomacy and politics, will maintain our permanent commitment to building and maintaining peace in our world." - (Guardian Service)