Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Catholic Bishops of Indonesia say the United Nations should hold a general assembly to stop the US led invasion of Iraq. "As the allied forces invaded Iraq on March 20, we were with the Pope for our ad limina visit. It is clear that the many non violent efforts to avoid the invasion did not succeed in stopping President Bush and his allies from putting their war plan into action. As the Bishops of Indonesia we join the Holy Father in recalling that war is always a defeat for humanity and a tragedy for religions, and, convinced in our concerns and filled with love for humanity founded on moral values we call for an emergency meeting of the UN to stop the US led invasion and help all the victims of this tragedy. We make this request with the strong hope that there will be respect for human life and national sovereignty."
The Bishops told Fides Service that they are concerned about the possible reaction of Muslim movements. "It is very easy to identify the allies with Christianity and Iraq with Islam as to see the war as a conflict between religions- said Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura, (New Guinea), who added that "the Church everywhere must stress, as the Holy Father has, that this war has nothing to do with religious beliefs. This must be repeated clearly with public statements by national and local leaders so that the truth reaches the ordinary people."
Bishop Martinus Situmorang of Padang on Sumatra warns: "there is bound to be a resurgence of Muslim fundamentalism but I do not think it will affect the dialogue and friendship that we have built up in Indonesia among the leaders of the different religions. Only a few weeks ago the National Moral Movement visited the Pope with a message for peace. We are sure that news and photographs of this visit, widely diffused in Indonesia, will help to avoid open conflict among the Muslim and Christians citizens of our country". PA (Fides Service 26/3/2003 EM lines 27 Words: 360)