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White House Response
Received. Full Text Follows:THE WHITE HOUSE March 5, 2003 Dear Dr. Edgar: President Bush asked me to thank you for your letter inviting him to discuss the war on Iraq with members of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. The schedule for the next few months has necessitated some difficult decisions. Unfortunately, I must decline the invitation and do not forsee an opportunity to add this event to the calendar.. I know this reponse is disappointing but want to assure you that your letter received every consideration. The President appreciates the support your invitation represents and always welcomes your comments and suggestions. Sincerely, Bradley A. Blakeman Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Appointments and Scheduling Four More Signatures Added as of 2/25/03, Bringing Total to 50 Leaders of 13 Denominations and 5 Organizations. 46 U.S. Religious Leaders, Uneasy
About the Proposed War on Iraq, January 30, 2003, NEW YORK CITY - Citing the "utmost urgency" of their request, 46 U.S. religious leaders who have been working "to slow the rush to war" with Iraq today petitioned President Bush for a face-to-face meeting. War is not only a military matter, write the leaders - from 11 denominations and four organizations, including 20 United Methodist bishops. "It is a moral and ethical matter of the highest order, one that we have made a priority for many months as the possibility of war has loomed on our national horizon." The 46 leaders of tens of millions of Protestant and Orthodox Christians across the United States note that they are in communication with their clergy, lay leaders and church members across the nation and with their counterparts in Europe and elsewhere around the globe on this issue. Active in the search for peaceful solutions to the Iraq crisis since August, religious leaders "have become all the more alarmed as U.S. military activity keeps escalating," said Dr. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, which facilitated circulation of the letter for signatures. "We want to meet with the President before he decides to go to war with Iraq." The full text of the letter follows. January 30, 2003 President George W. Bush Dear Mr. President: We greet you-our President, our nations highest military leader, and a member of the community of faith-in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. At a time when our nation, and you as its leader, face unprecedented challenges affecting the security of the United States and of the entire world, we wish to bring to you the insights and perspective of one of the largest segments of the Christian community of our country. Because you are weighing the prospect of war on Iraq and all the terrible consequences that war involves, you will have faced firsthand the truth that war is not only-or even primarily-a military matter. It is a moral and ethical matter of the highest order, one that we have made a priority for many months as the possibility of war has loomed on our national horizon. As leaders of tens of millions of Protestant and Orthodox Christians across the United States, we are in touch with our clergy, with lay leaders and with church members everywhere on this issue. We are also in communication with our counterparts in Europe and elsewhere around the globe. Several of us have traveled to Iraq in recent years, and even in recent days, to speak with Iraqi people of faith. We draw on the tenets of our Christian faith in all these encounters, seeking a way toward peace that is both prophetic and practical. It is with the utmost urgency that we seek a meeting with you to convey face-to-face the message of the religious community that we represent on the moral choices that confront this nation and your Administration. You are no doubt well aware of our activities to slow the rush to war and our continuing uneasiness about the moral justification for war on Iraq. What we ask now, as fellow believers and as the spiritual leaders of Americans in congregations in every community of our great nation, is a pastoral opportunity to bring this message to you in person. Be assured of our prayers always for you and the members of your Administration, that God may keep and guide you. The following religious leaders have signed this letter. Mr. Ray Buchanan Bishop Kenneth L. Carder The Rt. Rev. Dr. John Chane The Rev. Roberto Delgado His Grace Bishop Dimitrios (Couchell) of Xanthos Bishop R. Sheldon Duecker The Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar The Rt. Rev. C. Christopher Epting Bishop William Boyd Grove The Rev. Dr. Richard L. Hamm Bishop Mark Hanson United Methodist Church 276 Essex Street Lawrence, MA 01842 978-682-7555 bishopsoffice@neumc.org The Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey Ms. Karen Hessel Bishop Kenneth Hicks Ms. Elenie K. Huszagh, Esq. Bishop William W. Hutchinson Bishop S. Clifton Ives Bishop Reuben P. Job Goodlettsville, TN 37072-9612 615-876-3110 dakotajob@aol.com Bishop Charles Wesley Jordan Bishop Thomas L. Hoyt Jr. His Eminence Archbishop Mor Cyril Aphrem Karim Bishop Leontine T.C. Kelly The Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick Bishop James Lloyd Knox The Rev. Dr. Felton Edwin May, Bishop Executive Director Church World Service 475 Riverside Drive, 7th Floor New York, NY 10115 212-870-3523 jmccullough@churchworldservice.org Retha McCutchen General Secretary Friends United Meeting 101 Quaker Hill Drive Richmond, IN 47374-1980 765-966-7293 rethamcc@cm.com Bishop Marshall L. Meadors The Rev. A. Roy Medley Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of America 3127 Sparrow Flight Seven Hills, OH 44131 216-288-3347 bishoy@ecucopt.org Dr. Audrey Miller Mr. Don Mosley Bishop Fredrick Mutti Bishop Donald Ott Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader The Rev. Judy Mills Reimer The Rev. Dr. Bruce Robbins Bishop Roy Sano The Rev. John H. Thomas Bishop Jack M. Tuell The Rev. Lydia Veliko Mr. Jim Wallis The Rev. Dr. Robert Welsh Bishop Timothy W. Whitaker Bishop Richard B. Wilke The Rev. Robina Winbush Mr. James Edward Winkler The Rev. Bertrice Y. Wood Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel |