To the editor:
I wish to add to Fr. Jim Murphy’s concerns (December 25, 2008) about our military policy, especially his points on militarism and torture.
A year before he died, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., found that he could no longer keep silent about a matter linked with race. He recalled puzzled listeners asking, “Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Peace and civil rights don’t mix.” We live in different times, but the observations in his speech at Riverside Church about the spiritual health of “a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift” still ring true.
Many religious leaders have objected to the treatment of prisoners mentioned by Father Murphy and to harsh interrogation practices, in particular. One way to bring change is to support the statement “Torture is a Moral Issue” of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (www.nrcat.org). Its endorsers include Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Fr. David Wanish, Pastor, St. Joseph Parish, Argyle; St. Michael Parish, Yellowstone; St. Joseph Parish, Gratiot; St. John Parish, South Wayne