Maryknoll leadership statement, updated March 2008
The following is recently updated from the statement originally issued by Maryknoll leadership in September 2005. For more information on Maryknoll’s response to the war in Iraq, visit the Global Concerns’ website.


Maryknoll missioners live and work in communities around the world torn apart by conflict and war. We know too well the intense suffering and destruction that war brings. As followers of Jesus we are committed personally and institutionally to reverence and affirm the dignity of each person and the whole community of life of which we are a part. We seek to participate actively in the transformation of the world, pursuing social justice, the integrity of creation, and – with even greater intensity in these times – peace. (Statement of Maryknoll Joint Leadership, February 2003)

We acknowledge with sorrow that, five years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the violence and destruction continue. Since March 2003 Iraq has descended into civil war, and millions of its citizens are either internally displaced or refugees abroad. Photos and accounts of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. military personnel have shocked and scandalized the world. While most Iraqis wish only for peace, the country is in danger of partition. Ethnic cleansing of neighborhoods and deadly threats against Iraq’s Christian minority make reconciliation appear ever more distant. With perhaps $500 billion expended so far in Iraq, vulnerable U.S. citizens – especially the young and the elderly – are increasingly at risk as domestic budgets for social services, health care and education are frozen or reduced.

Expressing our:

<*>Compassion for those on all sides who have suffered heart-rending losses,
<*>Concern for the self-determination and integrity of the Iraqi people and reconciliation of Iraq’s war-weary citizens, and
<*>Confidence in Iraqis’ capacity to shape a peaceful and prosperous society consistent with their ancient culture,

We call for:

<*>Withdrawal: The U.S. must move swiftly to implement a plan to promptly and completely remove its armed forces and military contractors and permanently dismantle its military bases in Iraq. It must promote a transition to a multilateral peacekeeping force clearly separate from U.S.-led coalition forces and preferably under Arab command.
<*>Oil sovereignty: Iraq’s oil industry, nationalized in 1972, generates 95 percent of government revenue. A draft oil law now before Parliament – with strong U.S. support – would open two-thirds of Iraq’s known oil reserves, and all future oil discoveries, to foreign control. The bill would purportedly distribute oil revenues throughout the nation on a per capita basis. However, it would also permit much of the oil revenue to flow to international oil companies, with no minimum requirement to reinvest earnings in the Iraqi economy. No new oil law should be adopted under external pressure, especially if it would deny Iraqis the benefit of their own natural resources.
<*>Self-determination: The U.S. must give up the role of determining Iraq’s future and leave it in Iraqi hands.
<*>Reparations: The U.S. must pay Iraq to repair the damage caused by the invasion, occupation and years of U.S.-led sanctions.
<*>Reconstruction: Reconstruction projects must not provide another windfall for U.S. firms. Contracts must provide jobs for Iraqi workers and companies.
<*>Care of refugees: The U.S. must increase support for Iraqi refugees accepted into the U.S. for resettlement, provide support for neighboring countries that have accepted refugees and financially strengthen the resources of these nations. When displaced Iraqis determine the viability of their return to Iraq, the U.S. should fund repatriation and resettlement.

The Leadership of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Maryknoll Sisters and Maryknoll Lay Missioners, March 2008