Give Peace a Chance...at last

U.S. Bishops Discuss Iraq With Democrats

Call for End to Stalemate Over the War

WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 19, 2007 (Zenit.org).-

The U.S. bishops will meet with a group of Catholic House Democrats to discuss a responsible transition to end the war in Iraq.In a letter sent Tuesday, the bishops reiterated their call for members of Congress and the Bush Administration to break the political stalemate in Washington and to pursue a bipartisan policy to bring the war to an end as soon as possible.

Bishop Thomas Wenski, chairman of the bishops' committee on International Policy, wrote the letter in response to a June 28 request for the meeting from Representative Tim Ryan and 13 other House democrats. "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," Bishop Wenski wrote.

"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. "Representatives of our conference welcome the opportunity to meet with you and other policy makers to discuss ways to pursue the goal of a 'responsible transition' to bring an end to the war in Iraq."

He added: "The current situation in Iraq is unacceptable and unsustainable, as is the policy and political stalemate among decision makers in Washington."Our shared moral tradition can guide this effort and inform our dialogue with other leaders as we seek a way to bring about a morally responsible end to the war in Iraq."

More about Father Ragheed Ganni: Courageous Witness

"Having Taught a Martyr Is Something Else Entirely"

Professor Shares E-Mails From Father Ragheed

ROME, JUNE 13, 2007 (Zenit.org ).-

"The situation here is worse than hell," Father Ragheed Ganni wrote to a former professor the day before he and three deacons were shot after Sunday Mass in Mosul, Iraq.Father Robert Christian, a theology professor at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelicum, in Rome, spoke at the requiem Mass held in that school on Tuesday. There, Father Ganni had studied theology and ecumenism.

On June 3, Father Ganni and three deacons, Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid and Wadid Hanna, were killed in front of the Church of the Holy Spirit. Father Christian began his homily, saying: "On Saturday, June 2, I received an e-mail from Mosul. In part it read: 'The situation here is worse than hell, and my church has been attacked a few more times since we last met. Last week, two guards in it were wounded after an attack. We shall meet in the near future and have a chat about all these events. God bless, Ragheed.'"

Father Christian continued: "The patriarch of the Chaldeans called them martyrs. And martyrs, who conform closely to the passion and death of Jesus Christ, have been revered since Christian antiquity as saints."A hellFather Christian called a hell that which "those left behind are experiencing: Ragheed's family and friends; the flock he pastured; his Chaldean Church, other Christians, and yes, Muslims, too, trapped in the senseless vortex of blind hatred and violence that is daily life in Iraq.""Ragheed could have fled," Father Christian continued. "As far as I know, he came to Italy three times after he returned to Mosul upon finishing his licentiate in ecumenism at the Angelicum. "But Ragheed had a strong sense of his priestly duty to be an icon of the Good Shepherd for his people."

Father Christian also read a message he received from Father Ganni last October. It read:

"Dear Father Christian, How are you? I'm really happy to get your message, and to know that there are people who still think of and pray for my country." The situation, as you can follow in the news, is dreadful. Christians are suffering twice, first because of the situation, second because of their religion.

"The Pope's speech lit a fire in the city. A Syrian Orthodox priest was beheaded; my parish church was attacked five times. I was threatened even before that priest was kidnapped, but I was very careful about moving around. I postponed my vacation twice because I couldn't leave the city under such conditions.

"I was planning to travel to Europe on Sept. 18, but I moved it to Oct. 4. Then I had to change the date to Nov. 1. "Ramadan was a disaster for us in Mosul. Hundreds of Christian families fled outside the city -- including my family and uncles. About 30 people left all their properties and fled, having been threatened."It is not easy but the grace of the Lord gives support and strength. We face death every day here."

These words show, Father Christian said, that Father Ganni "knew he was facing the threat of death for his faith. But he also knew that staying there was his duty, giving courageous witness to our faith in the resurrected Lord."

The professor continued: "We are used to teaching future leaders of the Church. When we hear about one of our former students becoming a bishop, we rejoice. But having taught a martyr is something else entirely. And sometimes we professors learn from our students."The emotions are strong: sadness, pain, anger and the feeling of helplessness.

"However, there is the awareness that we are before a person who was prepared to pay the supreme price; a person who wanted to live and die heroically; a person ready to shed his blood for the life of the faithful. This awareness humbles us."

Father Christian explained the source of Father Ganni's fortitude: "The strength of Father Ragheed was the Eucharist, and in his homilies he taught the faithful that the body and blood of Jesus, who was sacrificed and resurrected, strengthened the union among the members of the mystical body of Christ. "May the Eucharist give us the courage to live and die like Father Ragheed."Giving into the temptation of revenge does not honor Father Ragheed, but rather promoting peace, dialogue, and constructing or building a civilization of love."

On Sunday, another requiem Mass was celebrated by Father Joseph Chedid in the Church of St. Roukoz of the Antonine Maronite order in Lebanon.In his homily, Father Chedid, an Antonine priest and friend of Father Ragheed, spoke about the "souls of the martyrs whose blood was shed to witness to the word of God." He asked the faithful to pray to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the Iraqi people, and especially for Christians, to remove the "dark clouds hanging over them during the dreadful situation they are experiencing."

Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for all the people affected by this war

and for us who have recourse to you.

Here or Westward God is One

Here's a reminder to pray always for peace in Iraq and reconciliation among religions.

A message from the President of Ireland in the wake of a priest's recent death in Iraq:

I was in Rome last weekend when the tragic news came through that Father Ragheed Ganni, someone I first met in Lough Derg some years ago, and a former student of the Irish College, had been killed with three of the deacons who worked with him -- one of those deacons his cousin.

Father Ragheed's father and mother, and all his family, must suffer great pain at this time. Their loss is all the more terrible for the suddenness and evil manner of his death. May Father Ragheed's dear parents be sustained by their deep faith. The manner of Father Ragheed's death will be mourned in particular by the people of Iraq -- and as his funeral mass in northern Iraq demonstrated -- by the people of the whole region. Father Ragheed returned to live and minister in the ancient city of Mosul, in the parish of the Holy Spirit, in full consciousness of the risks.

There had been a bomb attack on the parish church as recently as Pentecost Sunday. Let us recognize Father Ragheed's sacrifice for what it was. Equally, we should reflect in truth on the sequence of events that has brought so many communities in Iraq to the edge of survival.

As we follow the daily tragedies of Iraq, we should pray, as Benedict XVI said, that this "costly sacrifice will inspire ... a renewed resolve to reject the ways of hatred and violence."

In the middle of the forced exodus to Connaught in the 1650s, a Gaelic poet (Fear Dorcha O'Mealláin) wrote about the possibility of faith even under dire circumstances of persecution and social dislocation (An Duanaire).

He spoke too of God's oneness:

"People of my heart, stand steady,

Don't make play of your distress.

Moses got what he requested,

Religious freedom, even from Pharaoh.

"Identical Israel's God and ours,

One God there was and still remains.

Here or Westward God is one,

One God ever and shall be."

Father Ragheed Ganni's death challenges us to work for reconciliation between faiths and to create a world where each human life is revered. The process of our own island's reconciliation that began so promisingly in Belfast a few short weeks ago may hold out hope for Father Ganni's beloved, but troubled, homeland.

These are days of sorrow for a caring family, for a lacerated country, and for so many others. But Father Ragheed lived his life by a commandment to love. In our sorrow we remember, on this feast of Corpus Christi, his sacrifice, his willing sacrifice in service of his faith. I thank God today for the blessing that has been given us in Father Ragheed Ganni.

"Ar dheis Dé go raibh a ainm dílis" (May his faithful soul be on God's right side).

Epilogue: Dialogue and Prayer

Ok. I'll quit blogging on this subject after this one, last post. Last night I was privileged to join in a committee meeting where the following reflection was shared regarding the Divine Mercy motto "Jesus I Trust in You." I thought of two other areas where insights from this reflection might also prove helpful: the war in Iraq, and the announcement of our new Archbishop.

"Jesus I trust in you."

What is trust and how do we trust? What does that trust mean in ... areas of conflict or differences of opinion?

I know there have been times in my life where I have been suffering from a lack of trust, most everyone has. Yet we are to go on trusting in God and in each other instead of hardening our hearts. Are we to trust blindly?

Even well-meaning groups, councils and leaders have occasionally led countries, communities and individuals down paths seemingly less than fruitful. In addition, in hindsight many may ask, why did not someone question what was happening?

Tradition asks us to look at our actions in light of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul also says to bear with one another with love. (Ephesians 4:2) To look at our actions in light of the Holy Spirit means to test it with love. Maybe we are not called to trust blindly, but reflecting on our actions to make sure all our actions come from a place of love.

Ask questions and expect answers, but do so with love. When others question our actions, listen with love and respond in return with love. Maybe it is in this way that we can say, "Jesus I trust in you" with confidence and full surrender."

Discussion questions:

1. In areas of conflict, have you asked questions with love?
2. In areas of differences, have you responded with love to others who question you?

Socratic Method, Part II: Bush Among the Benedictines

Maybe dialogue will come back into style after all.

Recently, St Vincent College invited President George W. Bush to speak at commencement, a controversial decision, no doubt, given among other things his pursuit of war in Iraq. Wisely, the Benedictine leaders of the school scheduled a forum to discuss the invitation.

Of course, the forum was extremely heated, with debate flying high. However, I like the response of the students. They appear to have imbibed a large draught of the Benedictine spirit along with their liberal arts education. Here is an excerpt from the article describing the debate. I especially like the last comment. It incarnates the beauty of dialogue framed with hospitality.

"Speakers used the Catholic college's Benedictine values to strengthen both sides of the argument. Senior Katie Campbell said hospitality is at the core of the college's belief system. "If we don't welcome President Bush, we are being hypocrites, acting against our own Benedictine values and beliefs we hold so sacred," Campbell said.

But others said Bush's policies stand in contrast with Benedictine values. "We're not unwelcoming President Bush. We're not welcoming the problems of his presidency," said Zach Clark, a senior history major.

But even those who disagree with the president think he should come to St. Vincent.

"I am for President Bush coming because I am against his policies," said Shane Seremet, a junior political science major. "What better chance do we have to engage him in dialogue?"

Humility gathers the heart together

A few good words from a country against whom we have perpetrated a great harm.....

Saint Isaac the Syrian (7th century), Monk at Nineveh, near Mosul in present-day Iraq
from his Spiritual Discourses, 1st series, no. 21

"It is said that only God’s help saves. When a person knows that there is no other help, he prays a lot. And the more he prays, the more his heart becomes humble, for it is not possible to pray and to request without being humble. “A heart contrite and humble, O God, you will not spurn.” (Ps 51:19) So long as the heart has not become humble, it is impossible for it to escape being scattered; humility gathers the heart together.

When a person has become humble, compassion immediately surrounds him and his heart then feels God’s help. He discovers a strength rising up within him, the strength of trust. When a person thus feels God’s help, when he feels that God is there and that he comes to his aid, immediately his heart is filled with faith and he then understands that prayer is the refuge of help, the source of salvation, trust’s treasure, the port that has been freed of the storm, the light of those who are in darkness, the support of the weak, the shelter in times of trial, help at the height of illness, the shield that saves in combat, the arrow sent out against the enemy.

In one word, a multitude of good enters into him by means of prayer. So from then on, he finds his delight in the prayer of faith. His heart is radiant with trust."

What to Do About Iraq?

I was gratified to read that the U.S. Bishops have called for extensive public discussion concerning our options for the future regarding Iraq. Will they go further and help us start to examine why we went there in the first place and what that says about our national priorities and policies towards other nations? I hope so.

U.S. Bishops Call for Responsible Action in Iraq WASHINGTON, D.C., JAN. 14, 2007

(Zenit.org).- New proposals for how to proceed in Iraq must be judged by how the plan seeks to "bring about a responsible transition in Iraq," says the U.S. bishops' conference.Bishop William Skylstad, president of the U.S. conference, said in a statement sent Friday that the "course of action, including current policies, ought to be evaluated in light of our nation's moral responsibility to help Iraqis to live with security and dignity in the aftermath of U.S. military action."

He added: "Our nation's military forces should remain in Iraq only as long as their presence actually contributes to a responsible transition. Our nation should seek effective ways to end their deployment at the earliest opportunity consistent with this goal. "Determining when a responsible transition can be met, Bishop Skylstad noted, will include reaching such benchmarks as minimally acceptable levels of security; economic reconstruction to create employment for Iraqis; stronger political structures and greater respect for religious freedom and basic human rights.

Bishop Skylstad also repeated calls for a "substantive, civil and nonpartisan" debate about alternative choices in Iraq and added that this "civil dialogue is even more essential and urgent at this moment of national discussion and decision."