Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna has become the latest Church
leader to speak out against a proposed military intervention in Syria.
In a column in Austria’s Heute daily, Cardinal Schönborn said: “Taking up arms can only be a last resort.
“Were previous weapons programmes successful in this region, and did
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan bring peace? What good can bombs do in a
country already bleeding from a thousand wounds?” he asked.
Meanwhile the US bishops’ conference reiterated comments by Pope
Francis and King Abdullah II of Jordan that “the path of dialogue and
negotiation between all components of Syrian society, with the support
of the international community, is the only option” to end the conflict.
Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, the chairman of the
bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace, said in a letter
to the US Secretary of State that “the Syrian people urgently need a
political solution”.
The letter called on the US to work with other governments to pursue negotiations and a ceasefire.
Meanwhile Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, president of the German
bishops’ conference, referring to the chemical weapons apparently used
by the Syrian regime, said: “These are weapons of mass destruction,
whose use is outlawed by international law – if the crime by Damascus
remains unanswered, then an important component of international law
will come under pressure, with potentially devastating consequences for
international security.”
He added that “the goal of military action must be defined, and it
has to be asked whether a military strike might not lead to an
unintended escalation of hostilities”.
The Catholic bishops’ conferences of England and Wales and France
have not issued any comments on the projected intervention.
Many of the
bishops are on holiday.