American bishops say Iraq war lacks legitimacy

BY STAFF REPORTER
AN AmERicaNasers war against Iraq would lack "moral legitimacy", the head of the US bishops' conference has said.
"Our bishops' conference continues to question the moral legitimacy of any preemptive, unilateral use of military force to overthrow the government of Iraq," said Bishop Wilton Gregory of Belleville, in a February 26 statement.
Bishop Gregory said his fellow bishops "had no illusions about the behaviour and intentions of, or dangers posed by, the Iraqi government".
But he insisted that the Iraqi government also must do its part to avoid war, by complying with UN demands for disarmament and by abandoning efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction.
But it was still difficult for the United States to justify an invasion of Iraq. "lacking clear and adequate evidence of an imminent attack of a grave nature or Iraq's involvement in the terrorist attacks of September 11" or without the broad support of the international community, Bishop Gregory said.
An attack on Iraq would not meet the "strict conditions in Catholic teaching" that would justify the use of military force, the bishop said,