Washington D.C., Nov 12, 2007 / 09:44 am
While labeling as unacceptable allowing Iran to develop nuclear weapons in the absence of an immediate threat, the United States Catholic Bishops have recommended a diplomatic solution to United States-Iranian confrontation.
Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida conveyed these opinions in a letter to United States Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Writing on behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he responded to escalating rhetoric and speculations of a pre-emptive attack on Iranian facilities to disrupt Iran's nuclear program.
Bishop Wenski wrote: “From a moral perspective, in the absence of an immediate threat…military action would constitute an act of preventative war.” He noted that the Catholic Church teaches that “engaging in a preventative war without clear proof that an attack is imminent cannot fail to raise serious moral and juridical questions.”
In the bishops' judgment, Iran does not constitute an immediate threat.