CAMPAIGN ’88 : Ecumenical Appeal

Religious leaders from Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish groups said Friday that neither Bush nor Dukakis is seriously grappling with the issue of arms control and peace in the nuclear era.

In a letter to both the Republican and Democratic nominees, the 100 religious leaders called on the candidates to use the remaining days of the election “to define your comprehensive long-term plan for peace, with the specific steps you would take during your Administration to move toward its fulfillment.”

The religious leaders charged that in the campaign to date, the two candidates have simply debated weapons systems and Pentagon spending rather than outlining any comprehensive vision of peace.

“There is time yet in this campaign to move beyond the sterile and spiritless argument over Midgetman vs. MX missiles, over conventional buildup versus ‘Star Wars,’ time for those who would be President to tell us how they would lead this nation into a world beyond armaments,” said Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Gumbleton of Detroit.

The letter was organized by Choose Peace, a newly formed alliance of Catholic, Protestant and Jewish religious leaders. It is chaired by United Methodist Bishop Dale White of New York.