What If the Pope Visits Baghdad?

The specter of war now dominates the world and the minds of all people. Wherever one goes you hear people asking the question "when would war start?" They have stopped asking the question "Will there be war? It looks like as though war has been decided and it is inevitable now. They have started surmising dates for its outbreak and spreading rumors for all plausible scenarios. Likewise, as the sounds of the dissonant war drum-beats rise, one can also hear prophetic voices opposed to it. They caution against its outcome since they do not see any real justification to waging it besides those unwarranted excuses coupled with political and economic interests that could only be seen as another step in the new American world supremacy plan.

Among these prophetic voices we find that of His Holiness Pope John Paul II who, more than a decade ago, has initiated a call for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq. At present, he has sent French Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, also known as the man of difficult or impossible missions, as his special envoy to Iraq. Last Friday, he has also received, in audience at the Vatican, Mr. Tariq Aziz in a renewal of his opposition to waging war and to having recourse to force for solving conflicts. He has also called repeatedly and incessantly for the organization of prayers and entreaties to the Almighty for peace to reign. We notice that the diplomacy of the Vatican is active on all fronts with a view to avoid the war and to spare the region of its miseries.

It seems that the drum-beats of war which rise day after day are trying hard to drown this prophetic voice and thus ignore the fact that it represents the highest religious, spiritual and moral power on earth since politics recognize neither religion nor morality. As the military build up is pursued and American and British forces proceed towards the Gulf, we see that the zero hour is close at hand and it will soon be far too late to stop this clock from ticking. Once the flames of war break out it would be difficult to douse them and Baghdad and the region would be immersed in disorder and destruction as a result of a battle that would only bring disaster and whose course would remain unpredictable. A single crazy guy could kindle the embers, yet, to douse them you need a thousand wise men.

Therefore, with full confidence in the Almighty, I would say why His Holiness John Paul II should not embarrass the entire world with a preemptive action and fly over to Baghdad for a visit of solidarity with the people of Iraq thus sending a clear message to all those trumpets of war that there is a limit to insanity? There is more than one reason for suggesting such an initiative and for sending this cry out:

- We do not want this visit to come in support of the Iraqi regime or as a protection for President Saddam but to be a protective shield for the people of Iraq, Christians and Moslems alike. This nation has suffered the worst since the Iraqi-Iranian war, during the first Gulf War following the invasion of Kuwait, and then it had to bear the oppressive sanctions imposed in the name of the United Nations. More than a million children were among its victims due to the lack of both medicines and food. Is it not opportune for this people to enjoy peace and quiet?

- We do not want it to be a smack to the United States, to its allies and to the trumpets of war. We want it to be a cry to the world conscience waking it up from its slumber and oblivion, and bring it back to its senses and help it regain its placidness and stability. Nowadays disorder, incongruence, commotion and much noise overwhelm the world as though we were living in a sweeping eddy that directs us all towards the ravine.

- We do not want it to be only a pilgrimage to the birthplace of Abraham, in the Chaldean city of Ur, the dream of his Holiness during the year of the Jubilee which he then substituted with only a celebration at the Vatican prior to embarking on his historical pilgrimage. The piligrimage which he undertook in the wake of Moses in Egypt, the trail of John the Baptist in Jordan, the footsteps of Christ in the Holy Land, and the path of St. Paul in Syria and Greece… We want him to travel and support more than one million Chaldeans who live in Iraq and speak the Chaldean language, a language akin to Aramaic which Jesus Christ spoke. He would give support to this ancient Church which is being depleted of both its material and human resources as a result of the emigration of more than a quarter million of its adherents over the past twenty years.

- We do not want it to be a trip of tourism to the land of Mesopotamia, cradle of Assyrian, Babylonian and Moslem civilizations, where their remains attract researchers and adventurers. His Holiness is a frail old man who needs rest and peace… but we still want him to use his spiritual, moral, theological and ecclesiastical weight to attract the attention of the world to the misery of a people who continue to suffer. With this he would give politicians a spiritual and moral lesson teaching them how to solve conflicts and declaring in a loud and clear voice that war can only bring destruction and sow death while announcing in no uncertain terms that human beings are much more valuable than oil, wealth and finances.

In order not to render his trip as one of pilgrimage or tourism only and so that it would not be seen as one in support of the Iraqi regime or of Saddam, also not in opposition to the Americans and the British, of Bush and Blair, there must be a well prepared and tightly planned schedule for launching a practical initiative. This would provide the best proof that he is a man of goodwill, a peace mediator with a sharp vision. Therefore, we suggest that he carries with him a peace initiative that would secure a statement of commitment and diffuses a message to the leaders:

- The peace initiative could be a call for an international conference at the Vatican to deal with the Iraqi problem in general and the Palestinian conflict in particular that would be dealt with peacefully. This conference would be attended by all concerned parties including Bush, Saddam, Sharon and Arafat.

- In the statement of commitment all parties, led by Saddam Hussein, will undertake, in good faith, to find a solution for all outstanding conflicts by way of debate and negotiation with regard to all nations' interests.

- The message to the leaders will call upon them to abide in the fear of God when dealing with the people and to undertake the preservation of their natural and human resources without spending their wealth on armament and shed aside all thought of war and of having recourse to it. Consequently they should work to disarm not only the weak and poor countries but also the strong and the wealthy. It is a strong cry of "no to war and no to armament."

To avoid having this visit presented as a charade that ends with the return of the of the Pope to the Vatican whence an American war will be declared, we suggest that the Pope should stay long enough in Baghdad for the time needed for all practical preparations for this International Conference and have Iraq declare its preparedness to disarm and to see the withdrawal of the American troops from all around Iraq and put an end to all war preparations.

In order to ensure a strong and effective message we call on his Holiness to invite all religious leaders for a meeting in Baghdad similar to that of Assisi. It could be called "Abraham's Tent" where they would hold religious debates about justice and peace and will say their prayers in all languages and rites and proclaim a historical reconciliation between East and West. This would put an end to the conflict of civilizations and cultures with the west that professes Christianity and the East that professes Islam. In this manner they will prove to the world that religion could and should be the bearer of the banner of humanity and the shield for all beings who would stop being the weathercock of political instability.

You could say that I am dreaming; yet I am realistic. I realize that politicians are unable to solve this complicated crisis and not even the United Nations is capable of changing its course of events which are now precipitating towards war, therefore a happy surprise such as this while the Pope is capable of such surprises – has he not visited the city of Sarajevo during the war – could bring about a remarkable turning point and change the course of the conflict towards one of peace and avoiding war. This will open a new horizon towards a peaceful solution to the crisis.

Father Raed Abusahlia / Priest for the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem – Parish priest of Taybeh