Bishops Urge Restraint on Use of Force in Gulf

The nation’s Roman Catholic bishops today called for sharp limitations on any use of military force by the United States in the Persian Gulf.

They said church principles rule out any tactics that would target civilian lives, adding that that would mean any gulf conflict would have to be a “limited war.”

The bishops urged that the United States “stay the course of persistent, peaceful and determined pressure against Iraq” for a nonviolent solution.

The action came in the opening session of the annual fall meeting of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

After lengthy discussion, the bishops voted 249 to 15 to endorse a letter about the gulf crisis written by Los Angeles Archbishop Roger Mahony, head of the conference’s international affairs committee.

The letter was sent last week to Secretary of State James A. Baker III.

It said resorting to war would violate principles set down in the church’s “just war” theory by jeopardizing many lives, raising serious moral questions and undermining the international solidarity against Iraq.

After affirming the letter’s position, the bishops also voted 126 to 118 to modify their agenda to hold a special closed session later on the gulf crisis.

At the White House today, the Administration pledged that President Bush will work closely with Congress on the Persian Gulf crisis but said he might be forced to order military action on his own in the event of “unforeseen kinds of provocations.”

White House Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, addressing concerns raised by Democratic lawmakers, said Bush will work with Congress “every step of the way. We have no intention of leaving Congress out.”

Fitzwater added: “He will follow the constitutional requirements, and we would want to consult with the Congress every step of the way. But there are always those unforeseen kinds of provocations that might result in having to move first.”

Congress needs to be involved in any decision to fight, several congressional Democrats said Sunday, several days after Bush announced plans to nearly double the 230,000 troops in the Persian Gulf to provide an “adequate offensive option.”

“The last thing we need is to have a war over there, a bloody war, and have American boys being sent and brought back in body bags and yet not have the American people behind them,” said Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.). “We’ve gone that route one time. We don’t need to do it again.”

Without saying so directly, Fitzwater suggested the Democrats were overreacting. “Not a shot’s been fired. What are these guys talking about?” he said.