Canberra (Fides Service) - A call for calm in responding to terrorism and stress and the need to pray and work for peace at a time of great tension in the world, has been launched by the Catholic Bishops of Australia. In a statement addressed to the people of Australia the Bishops affirm that the Bali bombing "so near to home", the prospect of another war in the Middle East prompt "new consideration of Australia's role in the 'war on terror''. While "the international community has increasingly focused on the possibility that the Iraqi leadership is amassing weapons of mass destruction, implying the threat of an imminent attack - the statement reads - with other Church leaders around the world, the Catholic Bishops of Australia urge great restraint at this most delicate point and welcome the role of the United Nations Security Council in ensuring that Iraq meets its obligation to disarm." The Australian Bishops also stress the importance of solidarity with the people of Iraq. See full statement PS (Fides Service 10/12/2002)