Washington D.C., Feb 23, 2016 / 17:07 pm
U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday his intent to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba, a proposal that Catholic bishops have long supported in principle.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops would not comment on the specific details of President Obama's plan, but the bishops have supported – and still support – the closing of the prison, a spokesman for the bishops' conference told CNA.
"For many years, it's been clear that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay does not advance our national security – it undermines it," Obama stated on Tuesday morning at the White House.
"Moreover, keeping this facility open is contrary to our values," he added. "As Americans, we pride ourselves on being a beacon to other nations, a model of the rule of law. But 15 years after 9/11 – 15 years after the worst terrorist attack in American history – we're still having to defend the existence of a facility and a process where not a single verdict has been reached in those attacks."