Statement
from Pax Christi USA in support
of the Iraq Photo Project
[Jean Stokan, Policy Director of Pax
Christi USA, attended FOR's October 20 News Conference in Washington,
D.C. and
made this statement in support of the Iraq Photo Project]
Washington
, D.C. - There is a proverb that captures
the essence behind the Fellowship of Reconciliation's (FOR) Iraq
Photo Project: "What the eyes see, the heart cannot forget." "What
the eyes see" is two-fold. Many of us in the U.S. have seen
pictures of victims of the war in Iraq. In the early weeks and
months of the war, we scoured the internet to look for those pictures,
to hold them up and say to our government leaders and the American
people "this is what war looks like." We found pictures
of charred bodies, infants with shrapnel slicing open their skulls,
and many more which broke our hearts. And we will not forget. While
the U.S. mainstream media rarely show such photos—were even
forbidden to show such photos—the international media carried
them. When the pictures of the abuse of Iraqis in prisons were
released, finally, more of the U.S. public woke up. I
am here representing Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic
peace movement, which together with FOR—and many, many groups—worked
desperately to prevent another U.S. war on Iraq. And once it started,
we literally put our bodies on the line to resist and disassociate
from the U.S. government's pursuit of the war. Our members have
traveled to Iraq, before and during the war. Our eyes have seen
the broken victims of war—both Iraqi and our own people as
we listen to family members today. The sorrow and shame we feel
is deep. One of our
Pax Christi tenets is that "Violence begets violence." This
has clearly unfolded in Iraq. Many of our Pax Christi members have
sent in their pictures and messages to the Iraqi people to say: "We
are so sorry for the actions of our government. Your wounds we
carry deep. We come before you, humbly, as our sisters and brothers,
and ask for your forgiveness." We
recommit ourselves to struggle against war and violence. Our
hope in sending these photos and messages of sorrow and compassion
is that the Iraqi people might see them and in the spirit of the
proverb, not forget in their hearts that others stand with them. In
the words of United States Catholic Conference of Bishops President
Wilton T. Gregory, "In time of war, our first obligation
is prayer and solidarity. We pray for all those most directly affected
by this war...and those who labor to provide for their humanitarian
needs. All of us should do what we can to reach out in solidarity
to all those who will suffer as a result of this war." May
this photo exhibit offer to the Iraqi people a measure of hope,
strength, and great love. For more information or media interviews, please contact Michael
Jones at 814-453-4955, ext. 228, or email mike@paxchristiusa.org. Pax Christi USA is the national Catholic peace movement, reaching
more than half a million Catholics in the United States each year.
Our membership includes more than 120 U.S. Bishops, 800 parish
sponsors, 650 religious communities and 300 local groups. Pax Christi
USA is a section of Pax Christi International, the international
Catholic peace movement, with consultative status at the United
Nations. Jean Stokan, Policy Director
Pax Christi USA
October 20, 2004 ### National Catholic Peace Movement 415 Michigan Ave. NE Washington.
DC 20017 Ph: 202-319-5543 Fax:202-319-5541 info@paxchristiusa.org
www.paxchristiusa.org
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