The war-scarred church has been the venue for seminars and workshops on peace and inter-religious concerns since it opened as a conflict analysis centre in April 2006. The aim of the project is, “not to repair the church to its original grandeur but to retain the scars of war,” while repairing damaged portions to ensure its structural stability.
The Washington National Cathedral is the final stop of fourteen Iranian cyclists who travelled city by city across 4 European countries and the United States to communicate a message of peace from Iranians to other nations around the world.
In the next two days, Congress will vote on an amendment to close the notorious School of the Americas/WHINSEC.
“Warnings put forward by the religious community in the U.S. about the consequences of a military strategy to disarm Saddam Hussein were lost on a compliant Congress and an administration determined to go to war with Iraq,” writes Bishop John Bryson Chane. “President George W. Bush called the nation to war on unsubstantiated charges that Iraq possessed chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction.”
As Congress and the Administration consider the future of Iraq, we urge a careful and reasoned debate that avoids the partisan and harsh rhetoric that would diminish the important issues before our nation. We encourage full and open discussion that acknowledges our mistakes as well as our responsibilities. It is imperative that the United States now map out a strategy for a responsible transition to Iraqi governance, making clear that we do not have long term interests in occupying Iraq.