Episcopal Press and News
Presiding Bishop Responds to Outbreak of War with Call for Peacemaking
Episcopal News Service. January 25, 1991 [91015]
Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning responded to the outbreak of war in the Persian Gulf with a message to members of the Episcopal Church -- which includes President George Bush -- urging them to pray and work for peace. "Even in the heat of battle let us not forget that the call to peacemaking is an imperative for Christians," Browning said. (See full text in Newsfeatures section)
Browning, who gained international visibility recently when he opposed the use of offensive military action in the Persian Gulf during two conversations with President George Bush, said, "I must emphasize here that many thousands of faithful people in this country and abroad have prayed and marched for a peaceful resolution of the [Persian] Gulf crisis. Some, myself included, have long believed that war was uncalled for, that options short of war were far from being exhausted....
"What lies ahead only God knows," Browning said. "We hold in our hearts all who are caught in the agony of battle. Particularly we pray for the brave men and women of the military forces, for those who wait at home, and for all the innocent caught in the horror of battle.
"The future is unclear," Browning continued, "but our response is certain, and we turn to God in prayer." He called upon Episcopalians to pray for a speedy and decisive end to the conflict, that international humanitarian law be strictly applied and adhered to, and for safe haven of refugees. Browning also asked that "our President, George, be upheld by our prayers, and that he and all the leaders of the nations may be guided in their decisions by the Spirit of mercy and peace."
Browning has pledged to continue his own peacemaking efforts in cooperation with other religious leaders, and directed Episcopal Church relief agencies "to join worldwide ecumenical efforts seeking to provide humanitarian aid to displaced persons and other victims, without distinction."
Browning traveled with 17 church leaders on a peace pilgrimage to the Middle East in December. They released a statement on December 21 rejecting war as a solution to the Persian Gulf crisis; they called such a war "morally indefensible" and asked "the churches and the nation to fast and pray for peace, to pursue every means available for public dialogue and popular expression to find a way out of certain catastrophe... and to point to the way to peace with justice."