United States Conference of Catholic Bishops,
Statement, November 13, 2002

Based on the facts that are known to us, we continue to find it difficult to justify the resort to war against Iraq, lacking clear and adequate evidence of an imminent attack of a grave nature. With the Holy See and bishops from the Middle East and around the world, we fear that resort to war, under present circumstances and in light of current public information, would not meet the strict conditions in Catholic teaching for overriding the strong presumption against the use of military force.

The Holy See

Pope John Paul II
Address to the Diplomatic Corps
January 13, 2003

And what are we to say of the threat of a war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the Prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than twelve years of embargo? War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations. As the Charter of the United Nations Organization and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, without ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations.

Cardinal Angelo Sodano
Vatican Secretary of State
Interview with Italian Reporters
January 29, 2003

We're asking for reflection not only on whether a war would be just or unjust, moral or immoral, but also whether it is opportune to irritate a billion followers of Islam….We are against the war. That is a moral position, and there's not much that needs to be said about whether (the war) is "preventive" or "nonpreventive." It's an ambiguous term. Certainly the war is not defensive.

Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran
Vatican Secretary for Relations with States
Interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica
December 23, 2002

The use of arms is not an inevitable fatality; what is more, no provision is made in the United Nations Charter for a preventive war….[N]othing should be decided without the consent of nations and international institutions, from whence derives the irreplaceable role of the U.N.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
Prefect of the Vatican Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith
September 21, 2002

The concept of a "preventive war" does not appear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

May 2, 2003

"There were not sufficient reasons to unleash a war against Iraq. To say nothing of the fact that, given the new weapons that make possible destructions that go beyond the combatant groups, today we should be asking ourselves if it is still licit to admit the very existence of a 'just war'."

Other Episcopal Conferences

Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales
Statement, November 15, 2003

It is our moral responsibility to avoid this war unless, in the face of a grave and imminent threat, there is no other possible means to achieve the just end of disarming Iraq….Grief for those killed and wounded in war will be the more agonising if their loss results from an armed conflict that could have been avoided without compromise to the common good. We pray that both sides step back from the brink of war.

French Bishops' Conference
Statement, October 15, 2002

To date, the available information does not allow one to affirm that the conditions -- as one finds them summarized in the "Catechism of the Catholic Church," No. 2309 -- are met….[A] military conflict between an Arab country and the United States would…deepen the feeling that the great powers use "two weights, two measures" in enforcing application of U.N. resolutions in the region.

German Bishops' Conference
Statement, January 20, 2003

The point at issue is war prevention not preventive war! A security policy that advocates preventive war is in contradiction with Catholic teaching and international law….A war also threatens to cause the most serious political divergences in the entire Middle East, which would put at risk the achievements of the international alliance against terror. Would the region have better prospects of peace, stability and the protection of human rights after a war?

Catholic Bishops Conference of India
Statement, February 4, 2003

The world has been languishing under the folly of mindless terror and violence … and this must stop. However, the remedy for putting an end to such terrorist activities and organizations should not be worse than the malady itself, and that is what is feared, namely, a full-scale armed conflict. Let peace prevail and not war.

Pakistan's Church Leaders
Joint Pastoral Letter, January 16, 2003

As the calamity of war in Iraq looms on the horizon, we recognize that this war will have far-reaching and disastrous consequences for all our region. We share the concern of our Muslim brethren and all people of good will in expressing their total condemnation of this pre-emptive strike….[T]his is not a "war on international terrorism" but rather an outright attack on a sovereign state, which sets a precedent for bigger states to unilaterally declare war on smaller and weaker nations.

Southern African Bishops' Conference
Statement, January 31, 2003

The fight against terrorism cannot be achieved through a war that will inevitably kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people, and terrorise millions more. We strongly believe that one of the main causes for terrorism is the disregard for justified claims of peoples who feel socially, economically and politically excluded, exploited and oppressed. The great majority of peace loving people around the world want the problems of this world to be resolved through peaceful means, not through war. They expect the USA and the West to take the lead in this regard.

Statement of Relief Organizations

Caritas Internationalis
Statement, January 21, 2003

Already seriously weakened, the Iraqi people would pay an exorbitant price in the event of an attack. A conflict would inevitably lead to the deaths of thousands of people, and even greater numbers would be displaced or become refugees. In Iraq today, between 14 and 16 million persons (two thirds of the population) are entirely dependent on food rations distributed under the UN Oil-for-Food-Programme, purchased through the sale of Iraqi oil. In the event of a conflict and the inevitable destruction of communication and transport infrastructures, the whole system could be paralysed within a few hours. Likewise, as happened in the conflict of 1990-91, the water and sewage systems would be rapidly paralysed due to a lack of electricity, and polluted water could cause major outbreaks of disease and lead to epidemics.

Church Leaders on the Threat of War in Iraq
(Addendum)

Pope John Paul II
Speech to the Sant'Egidio Community
February 8, 2003

Peace is in danger. We need to multiply our efforts. One cannot be immobile in the face of terrorist attacks, nor when faced with the threats that are being raised on the horizon. One should not give up, as if war is inevitable.

Cardinal Roger Etchegaray
Envoy of the Holy See to Baghdad
Former head of the
P ontifical Council for Justice and Peace
Interview with La Repubblica,
February 9, 2003

War would be a catastrophe in every respect. Above all, it would have grave consequences for the Iraqi population and would also make it increasingly difficult for the United Nations to work for the unity of the human family.

Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad
Interview with Vatican Radio
February 10, 2003

As is well known, it is the civilian populations who always suffer the worst. It is the civilians who die and are wounded, and many remain disabled for the rest of their lives.