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Serving Catholics in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
Volume
7
Number 44
•
August 2 8, 1998
Say l\/lilitary No Answer To
Activists
Force
Is
Combat Terrorism By PATRICIA
WASHINGTON ciliation
ZAPOR
(CNS)
— Recon-
and mediation ought
to replace
military force in dealing with terrorists,
say peace activists from Catholic Worker, Pax Christi, Maryknoll, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and other organizations.
Early in the afternoon of Aug. 20, President Clinton announced U.S. military strikes against terrorist bases in Afghanistan and Sudan aimed at the groups believed responsible for bombing U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya on Aug. 7. Within hours, peace activists
from those groups, the
Inter-
fective
way
of responding," Dennis
—
said. "It's like the death penalty it's not effective and it's not a deterrent." Early that evening, as the president
addressed the nation from the Oval Ofwhy he ordered the missile attacks, about 70 people carrying hastily drawn signs walked a loop in front of the White House. They chanted various slogans loudly enough to be heard in the background of live fice to further explain
news
reports
from the media stakeout
area on the lawn.
"Nonviolence or nonexistence," read one sign. Others said: "Collateral damage equals dead humans," "How do
national Action Center, the International
your bombs differ from theirs?" "Pax
Socialist Organization and others had taken to the White House sidewalk to
Christi
protest.
lives."
Marie Dennis, director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, said the question of what the government should do when faced with immi-
ing the military strike to Clinton's domestic troubles his revelations ear-
nent threats of terrorism is difficult, but ultimately, retaliating with violence for violence is not the answer. "We should dig deeper into why terrorists behave the way they do," Dennis said. "The bombings in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam are a terrible tragedy for the people of those countries and for the entire world. But my concern is that we are merely heaping more violence upon violence."
Dennis said members of Maryknoll in the Middle East in particular have been learning about and promoting conflict resolution and alternatives to violence. The U.S. government ought to pursue similar efforts, she said.
The problems that lead to terrorism "are deep and wide, they have horrendous roots," she said. "We're not going to
be able to resolve
it
quickly, with
—
Violence ends where love begins," and "Killing does not save
Some
signs echoed sentiments link-
—
week about his relationship with former intern Monica Lewinsky. lier in the
They is
"No war for Monica," "Hey, blood stain?" and "Wag the
read:
that a
Dog." Eirik V. Frederick Harteis, of the Washington-area Pax Christi group, admitted it may seem inadequate to simply prescribe peace in the face of terrorist threats, but that "the teachings of
Jesus would call us to
move away from
an 'eye for an eye' mentality." "What we've done today is create a situation that's nothing but retaliation," he said. "How long can we continue with this tit-for-tat approach?" One of the marchers, Njoki Njehu. is a native of Kenya who has lived in the United States for 10 years. She saw the U.S. attacks in Sudan and Afghanistan as an example of "two wrongs don't
make
a right."
military strikes."
"Retaliation
is
See Activists, page 3
not a practical or ef-
Even Priests continue to
Arthur
JOHN THAVIS
VATICAN CITY (CNS) officials said they
— Vatican
were not sure what
U.S. President Bill Clinton was refer-
when he blamed Saudi millionOsama bin Laden for trying to as-
announced bombing
raids
Aug. 20
Sudan and AfghaniSpeaking of bin Laden and "groups associated with him," the president against targets in stan.
number of
ring to
blamed them
aire
and said they had also "plotted to kill the president of Egypt and the pope." The Vatican press office had no comment on Clinton's remarks. Privately, officials said they were uncer-
Pope John Paul II. But according to reports from the United States and the Philippines, the president was alluding to an aborted bomb plan during the pope's 1995 visit to Manila, Philippines, for World Youth Day. Clinton made his comments as he sassinate
for a
attacks
tain about the reference, since a
num-
Retirement
Duncan prays
daily for the intentions of the
Charlotte. After 51 years as a priest, he fondly
baptisms, first Communions, and marriages he celebrated during active ministry. related stories, pages 8-9.
Plot Linked To
was probably to the evidence that has emerged from Manila. In February of 1995, a month after the the reference
papal
visit,
Philippine police said they
had foiled an attack on the pontiff when they discovered an apartment in the city used by terrorists and stocked with material for bombs, a timer and false identification papers.
The Philippine police believed the included some 20 people,
terrorist cell
Ahmed
ber of alleged papal plots have surfaced
including Kuwait-born Ramazi
in recent years, in several countries.
Yousef, who was later arrested in connection with the World Trade Center
One Vatican
source, however, said
for so many years. Msgr. people of the Diocese of the hundreds of
remembers
See
Remarks On Papal Assassination By
In
remember the people they served
1995 Incident
bombing
in
New
York. They said they
believed the group had planned to blow
up a U.S. airhner during the pope's visit. Following Clinton's latest remarks. The Washington Post quoted unnamed U.S. intelligence officials as saying Yousef and others had, in fact, planned to bomb the pope during the Manila visit, using a fragmentation bomb and a timer.
While the intelligence sources provided no direct evidence between the al-
See Papal
Plot,
page 3