The Catholic Telegraph

Letter to the Editor printed April 25, 2008

Chaldean bishop: U.S. accountable for death of Iraqi archbishop, March 21, 2008

Dear Editor,
American Catholics need to listen when Pope Benedict XVI strongly denounces the
five-year-long Iraqi war, saying it "provoked the complete breakup of Iraqi civilian life."

Chaldean Bishop Ibrahim N. Ibrahim had said that the U.S. is accountable for the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho. Like so many dead in Iraq, the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho sadly demonstrates the hypocrisy of President Bush's "culture of life." The 4000 soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians are not a part of this "culture of life."

The kidnapping and murder of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho illustrates the mayhem that has been created in Iraq after the invasion. The war was an ill-conceived attempt to spread democracy without any consideration for the cultural consequences in a country of tribal factions -- and in turn, costing so many human lives. President Bush needs to apologize to the world for this invasion and its human toll. I pray that our next president ends this senseless bloodshed and promotes peace within the world.

Lisa Schare
Chair
Catholic Democrats of Ohio