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Presentation

Threats to World Peace and Church’s Response

Bishop Richard Pates

Iowa Institute for Social Action

St. Theresa Parish

Des Moines

October 6, 2012 Introduction

The Church as a whole and each of us individually as members of

the Body of Christ are called to be peacemakers by the Lord. So today I

want to explore with you several threats to world peace and the Church’s

response.

The Church teaches that peace does not consist simply in the

absence of war or violence. True peace can only be built on the firm

foundation of justice. The Church speaks of creating “an authentic

culture of peace” in which “the defense and promotion of human rights

is essential for the building up of a peaceful society.” (Compendium of

the Social Teaching of the Church, nos. 494, 495) So the works of

justice and peace are linked. Pope Paul VI coined a phrase that has often

been repeated, “If you want peace, work for justice.”

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In today’s talk I will explore four different conflicts in our world

and the Church’s response: Israel-Palestine; Afghanistan and Pakistan;

the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and Latin America.

The Holy Land

The Middle East is a land holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Tragically it is also a land where people have known violence for

decades and yearn for a just peace. The U.S. Conference of Catholic

Bishop and the Holy See have a long history of pursuing justice and

peace and support a two-state solution: a secure and recognized Israel

living in peace alongside a viable and independent Palestinian state.

The conflict between Jewish and Arab populations arose in

response to Jewish migration to the region before and after World War

II. The UN recommended partition of British Mandate Palestine into

two states: one Jewish and one Arab. Armed conflict ensued as British

forces withdrew and Israel declared its independence in 1948. Many

Arab Palestinians became refugees. The 1967 war between Israel and its

Arab neighbors resulted in the occupation of Gaza and the West Bank,

an occupation that persists to this day. In 1979 and 1994 Israel signed

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peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan, but no other Arab countries

recognize Israel and a Palestinian state has yet to be established. Israel

has offered a Palestinian state in exchange for security and peace, and

the Arab League and the Palestinian Authority have offered peace in

exchange for the establishment of a Palestinian state, but concrete

negotiations have been frustrated.

The past few years have been particularly difficult for those on

both sides seeking a lasting peace. Palestinians are divided between the

Palestinian Authority of President Mahmoud Abbas, which governs the

West Bank, and Hamas, which controls Gaza. This division complicates

peace efforts, especially since Hamas does not recognize Israel and does

not accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians that

were to lead to a two-state solution to the conflict. Palestinians note that

expanding Israeli settlements and the route of the security barrier in the

West Bank separate many Palestinian households from their families and

crops, and effectively confiscate Palestinian lands and water resources.

From Gaza there are periodic crude rocket attacks against Israeli

civilians in Southern Israel. These attacks are morally unjustifiable.

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Israel is entitled to defend itself, but at times Israel’s military response

has been disproportionate and indiscriminate, endangering civilians and

destroying civilian infrastructure in Gaza.

Israel’s continuing blockade of Gaza, expansion of settlements,

maintenance of numerous check-points within the West Bank, and

ongoing construction of a separation barrier deep in Palestinian areas

place strains on the Palestinian economy, deepening poverty and raising

Palestinian anger and hopelessness.

In different ways, the actions of both Hamas and Israel increase the

misery and tensions that breed violence and impede the creation of a

viable Palestine and a secure Israel. The humanitarian situation is

difficult in West Bank, but dire in Gaza. The Israeli blockade of Gaza

aims to discourage illegal arms shipments, but has also limited access to

basic necessities and construction materials. Catholic Relief Services

(CRS) is providing aid in both Gaza and the West Bank, but is

sometimes hampered in its work, especially in Gaza. Internal political

disputes in Israel and the continuing tensions between Hamas and Fatah

complicate the search for a just peace.

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During my visit to Israel and Palestine earlier this year, I came to

know both Israelis and Palestinians as people who have dreams similar

to ours. Both are trapped in a cycle of violence and isolation that makes

peace and reconciliation distant hopes. In many ways, the Israeli-

Palestine conflict aggravates much of the conflict between the West and

the Arab world.

Since 2003 our Conference of Bishops has been a leader of an

unprecedented interreligious initiative of 35 American Jewish, Christian

and Muslim religious leaders who urge the U.S. government to exercise

strong leadership for a two-state solution. Our Conference’s Catholic

Campaign for Peace in the Holy Land was launched in February 2005 to

support local participation in the National Interreligious Leadership

Initiative. It invites bishops and Catholic leaders to work with local

Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious leaders for peace.

In Washington, USCCB works for a just peace that curbs the

violence, provides recognition and security for Israel, ends the Israeli

occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and establishes an

internationally-recognized and viable Palestinian state. We also support

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an agreement on Jerusalem that protects religious freedom and other

basic rights, and an equitable sharing of resources, especially water.

USCCB urges consistent and persistent U.S. leadership to challenge and

restrain both parties to the conflict and to hold them accountable for

mutual steps needed for a just peace. Palestinians must improve

security by halting attacks on civilians, block illegal arms shipments and

disarming militias, and improve governance and transparency to build

capacity for a future state. Israel needs to freeze expansion of

settlements, withdraw “illegal outposts,” ease movement for Palestinians

by reducing military check points, and refrain from disproportionate

military responses. The dire humanitarian situation in Palestinian areas

is not in the best interests of either Israelis or Palestinians. Non-

governmental organizations, including Catholic Relief Services, play a

crucial role in delivering aid.

A major concern for USCCB is the Church in the Holy Land, an

indigenous community in the land of our Lord’s life and ministry.

Palestinian Christians continue to emigrate due to the continuing

conflict, fears about the future, a lack of economic opportunities, and

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Israeli residency requirements and visa regulations that separate family

members. Some Church institutions are put at risk by Israeli tax policies

and land confiscation, and ministry is hampered by visa problems.

Negotiations on a 1993 Fundamental Agreement between Israel and the

Holy See to resolve these challenges remain unfinished after almost two

decades. Since 1998 leaders of bishops’ conferences from Europe and

North America, including our own Conference, have convened annually

in the Holy Land to meet with public officials and visit the local Church.

Our visible support provides encouragement to the beleaguered

Christian community.

Afghanistan/Pakistan:

Afghanistan and Pakistan are half a world away. The United

States and 50 other nations have sent thousands of troops to Afghanistan

over the past ten years. The war in Afghanistan has affected families and

communities all across our nation. At one point, 100,000 American

troops were fighting there. Over 2,000 American men and women have

died in Afghanistan; thousands more have been wounded and struggle to

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rebuild their bodies, minds and spirits. Tens of thousands of Afghans

have died and many more struggle to rebuild their communities.

How did the United States get involved? U.S. interest in

Afghanistan is due in large part to terrorism and extremist insurgencies

that threaten regional stability and U.S. national security. Following the

horrific attacks of 9/11, the U.S. entered Afghanistan in October 2001

with the aim of dismantling al-Qaeda and preventing their use of

Afghanistan as a base. Al-Qaeda was able to operate in Afghanistan

with the support of the Taliban, who controlled most of Afghanistan

after the Soviets withdrew in 1989. Taliban control led to severe human

rights violations, especially of women and minorities. When the U.S.

initiated military action, many Taliban and al-Qaeda operatives fled to

Pakistan and the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In addition to combating terrorism, the U.S. and other nations

hoped to help the fledging Afghan national government, but experience

has shown that they underestimated the magnitude of that task.

Afghanistan had very little history of operating with a central

government. When U.S. attention and resources shifted to Iraq in 2003,

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the Taliban regrouped and retook territory, capitalizing on anger at

Afghan civilian casualties and rising fears of “foreign occupation.”

The Afghan government continues to struggle to provide essential

services and security amidst allegations of incompetence and corruption.

The U.S. and other nations plan to withdraw their troops by the end of

2014. Many wonder what the future holds. Will the Afghan

government be able to function? Will the Taliban play a role in

governance and if so, what does that mean for protection of human

rights in the country and support for terrorism outside the country?

After 9/11, Pakistan pledged support for counter-terrorism efforts.

However, Pakistan’s relatively weak government appears to have limited

ability to control terrorist activities within the country, especially along

the Afghan border. There are also suspicions about ties between

extremists and the Pakistani military. As you know, Osama Bin Laden

was found and killed in Pakistan in May 2011.

Pakistan is a significant player in the region. It also has nuclear

weapons and has been accused of providing nuclear technology to North

Korea, Iran and Libya. Given the fragility of the Pakistani government,

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who controls their nuclear weapons is a major cause for concern for

world peace.

The United States has expended significant funds for military and

development activities in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. From 2008

through 2011, over $300 billion has been spent in Afghanistan, most of

it on military operations. Since 2007, the U.S. Agency for International

Development has committed about $10.8 billion to Afghan development

projects. A 2009 Congressional act provided $7.5 billion in non-military

aid to Pakistan over five years to build sustainable economic

development, strengthen democracy and the rule of law, and combat

extremism. Some of this assistance was used to respond to floods in

2010 that covered 20 percent of Pakistan and affected about 20 million

people. Development assistance aims to build democratic, economically

viable countries in order to reduce threats to world peace.

So what has the Church’s response been to these threats to world

peace coming from Pakistan and Afghanistan? Following the 9/11

attack, the bishops issued a pastoral message that offered moral guidance

for U.S. action. The bishops urged: using restraint in deploying military

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force to ensure civilians are not targeted; addressing the root causes of

terrorism rather than relying solely on military force; and encouraging

international collaboration to provide humanitarian assistance and

rebuild Afghanistan. The bishops noted the need to develop “criteria for

when it is appropriate to end military action in Afghanistan.”

This concern for criteria to end military action was prescient. The

Afghan conflict has dragged on to become America’s longest war. The

bishops recognized that the Western military presence may be fueling

anti-American resentment in Afghanistan. Violent anti-American

demonstrations are increasing, particularly after drone strikes in

Pakistan. The American-produced video deemed insulting to the Prophet

Mohammed and to Islam sparked more protests.

Years ago the bishops called for a “responsible transition” to allow

for troop withdrawals as soon as possible. They asked our nation to:

ensure the proportionate and discriminate use of force when force is

required; focus more on diplomacy, development and humanitarian

assistance and less on exclusively military actions; protect religious

freedom and other human rights of all, especially vulnerable minorities;

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minimize further loss of human life; and assist refugees and internally

displaced persons.

Concerns for human rights and religious freedom have special

resonance for the bishops. In Pakistan, two high-ranking officials, one

Christian and one Muslim, were assassinated due to their opposition to

draconian blasphemy laws. A young Pakistani Christian teenager was

jailed on trumped up blasphemy charges and released in September only

after considerable international pressure. She and her family remain in

hiding and many of her small Christian community remain displaced out

of fear. The Church in the United States, in consultation with the Church

in Pakistan, has repeatedly called for the protection of religious

minorities. One of my brother bishops had hoped to make a solidarity

visit to Pakistan last year, but it was postponed because identification

with Americans was not helpful to local Christians.

Since the United States initiated military action in Afghanistan, the

bishops maintain that our nation has a moral responsibility to the Afghan

people even after our troops leave. Our nation should help foster good

governance and accountability, respect for human rights, and economic

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development in both countries.

In addition to advocacy, the Church provides on-the-ground

support for those in need in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Catholic Relief

Services (CRS) in Afghanistan has programs that build schools, improve

agriculture, and empower women. CRS’ focus on building communities

from the ground up fits well with the decentralized nature of

Afghanistan. Since they are able to work in places where the U.S.

government has found it difficult to sustain a presence, their operations

in Afghanistan have been held up as a model by a National Security

Council official. In Pakistan, CRS funds similar programs, helping to

build temporary shelters and restore agricultural production after the

2008 earthquake and the 2010 floods. In both countries, CRS

collaborates with local non-governmental organizations to build the

capacity of local organizations, which in turn help to hold government

officials accountable.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Not many people would consider the Democratic Republic of the

Congo (DRC) a threat to world peace, but this largely unknown war

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started after the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The violence has killed

millions of people, more than in any other conflict since World War II.

Human development in the DRC has been set back by over twenty years.

The Human Development Index Report of 2011 ranked the DRC at the

very bottom of the world’s nations (187 out of 187 countries). Today,

the United Nations estimates that the 67 million Congolese have a life

expectancy just over 48 years and on average survive on only $280

annually.

At its height, the war in the DRC involved the military forces of

nine African countries, making it Africa’s first continent-wide war.

These countries and various armed militias plundered vast Congolese

mineral resources to pay for their military operations. The minerals are

sold at world market prices, making huge profits.

Many international humanitarian and Congolese organizations

work in eastern Congo to relieve the suffering, help communities

rebuild, and heal the psychological wounds left behind. But the work of

the Catholic Church is particularly effective. Over half of the Congolese

people are Catholic. The Church’s vast network of dioceses, parishes,

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schools, hospitals, health clinics and development offices provides a

wide array of services to people in need. Catholic Relief Services

partners with the Church in many of these activities, offering financial,

technical and managerial assistance.

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference there promotes good

governance across the country. After fielding thousands of election

monitors, the Church produced a report identifying numerous flaws in

the Presidential electoral process and challenged the government’s

legitimacy. This report was cited by a number of international experts.

No other Congolese institution has the respect and credibility to stand up

to the government and speak truth like the Church.

The Church in the Congo works in partnership with Catholic Relief

Services and our Bishops’ Conference to address the illegal export of

Congolese natural resources that eventually led passage of the Congo

Conflict Minerals Act. The law requires U.S. registered companies to

report on the source of the minerals that go into their electronic devices.

The Securities and Exchange Commission just issued the regulations to

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implement the law, which hopefully will help the Congolese people

benefit from their mineral wealth.

I had the chance to visit the Congo recently. I met with Church,

government, civil society and religious leaders to discuss the issues they

face. I was so impressed with their hopes for their nation. Even though

you may not hear much about the war in the Congo, and despite there

being no U.S. troops deployed there, the situation warrants our concern

as the scale and intractability of the violence is an affront to world

peace. As people of faith we should avoid purchasing electronic

equipment that contains conflict minerals and we should urge our

government officials to address the conflict.

Latin America

In Latin America, threats to peace come not principally from the

activities of state actors, but through the inter-twined operation of

narcotics traffickers, paramilitary units and insurgent guerilla forces.

These criminal and terrorist actors cross national borders with impunity,

in an arc that sweeps from Peru and Colombia in South America, to

Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador in Central America, and through

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Mexico to the border of our own nation. Established insurgent elements,

like the Shining Path in Peru or the FARC in Colombia, as well as less

organized, but equally deadly, heavily armed units of drug dealers

challenge the security and armed forces of their governments and wreak

havoc on local populations. In Mexico, for example, we know over

50,000 civilians were killed in the past six years, as a result of the

Mexican Government’s desire to wage war on the narcotics traffickers in

that country.

Violence generated by drug traffickers, militias, government forces

and quasi-official paramilitary units creates pervasive and sustained

conflict that has uprooted people from their homes and caused severe

dislocations in this region. Often, those who are most impoverished and

marginalized have felt compelled, by a combination of political,

economic and physical threats and violence, to migrate northwards.

They often victimized on their journey north. Particularly when reaching

Mexico, many unfortunate travelers have been subject to murder, sexual

assault and human trafficking, all at the hands of criminal elements that

prey on these innocent men, women and children. These criminals often

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operate with impunity. Tragically, even for those fortunate to reach the

United States, the journey often ends with imprisonment and deportation

at the hands of our country’s criminal justice and immigration system.

Violence, especially south of the U.S.-Mexico border, is aggravated by

the often unregulated importation of heavy arms and weapons from our

nation.

The Church in Latin America has courageously and tirelessly

called for principled solutions to these far-reaching problems. These

calls to action have been matched by similar statements by our own US

Conference of Catholic Bishops.

As our Bishops’ Conferences have noted, the long-term solutions

are multi-faceted, complex and inter-connected. However, there is some

good news to report. Peace efforts recently have commenced in

Colombia between the FARC and the government. These important

talks must be encouraged and complemented by similar efforts in Peru

and other countries facing indigenous political challenges. Greater

efforts at anti-corruption and detection of money laundering must be

implemented to limit the ability of the drug traffickers to infiltrate host

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governments and neutralize the criminal justice and police efforts in

these countries. Efforts at eradicating crops used for drug production

must include support to small farmers who may need assistance in their

transition to legitimate crops. Such eradication must be effectuated in

environmentally acceptable ways, with a minimum of dislocation of

indigenous populations, and must be complemented by genuine efforts

to decrease the demand for drugs in the United States---an $80 billion

annual industry which induces a strong pull on the troubled economies

of the Latin American region for the production of illicit narcotics.

Finally, all these actions must include genuine efforts at immigration

reform, so that the plight of illegal migrants travelling northwards to the

United States, in search of dignity, security and economic opportunity,

does not become the source of exploitation of these troubled individuals

in their legitimate quest for a better future for themselves and their

families.

As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace,

it has been my privilege to travel to some of these troubled areas, and to

express the solidarity of the Church in the United States with these

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challenged communities in Latin America. The leadership manifested by

these Bishops’ Conferences finds its echo in the heroic and brave efforts

undertaken by individual priests, religious and Catholic lay workers who

often face threats and potential martyrdom in their quest to defend rights

and dignity of local populations. Whether operating half-way houses to

protect travelling migrants, or leading delegations to challenge threats

posed by criminal elements in their home communities, the work of the

Church has been a critical element in the development of a more just and

peaceful region.

Catholic Relief Services is present in many Latin America

countries, providing hope and help, as are many religious communities

of men and women.

Conclusion

We have taken a kind of world tour of “threats to peace and the

Church’s response” that highlight three key assets that the Church brings

to the cause of world peace: its teaching, its relationships, and its

experience.

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Our teaching puts restraints on the justified use of force and

encourages the building of true peace through justice and human

development, not simply through a balance of armed forces. Our

relationships with the Church around the world and with ecumenical and

interfaith partners enable the Church to create conditions for peace. And

our experience on-the-ground through a multiplicity of agencies and

institutions of the Church, especially our own Catholic Relief Services,

gives our voice for peace credibility and substance. We know how to

build peace. We are on the ground doing just that.

In the face of threats to world peace we are all called by the Lord,

who is our peace, to be peacemakers. We can do this by encouraging

officials in Washington to support initiatives that contribute to peace. In

particular, we need to remind them that if we want peace, we must work

for justice. Poverty-focused international assistance, which constitutes

just one-half of one percent of our federal budget, is an investment in

peace that deserves to be preserved and strengthened. I encourage you

to visit the website of Catholics Confront Global Poverty, a joint

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initiative of CRS and our Conference of Bishops at

“www.crs.org/globalpoverty” to contact your legislators.

We also need to provide direct support to the human family

through various initiatives, especially through support for the

humanitarian and development work of Catholic Relief Services.

We need to learn more about the threats to peace in our world

because we are one human family and our fate as Americans is linked to

the fates of people half a world away. Visit the websites of Catholic

Relief Services (crs.org) and the Bishops’ Conference (usccb.org) to

learn more. Share what you learn with your family members and fellow

parishioners.

Finally, we must pray for peace and never underestimate the power

of prayer and its ability to shape us as peacemakers. For as the U.S.

Bishops taught in The Challenge of Peace: God’s Promise and Our

Response, “Peacemaking is not an optional commitment. It is a

requirement of our faith. We are called to be peacemakers, not by some

movement of the moment, but by our Lord Jesus.” (#333)