A week has passed since unconscionable acts of terrorism in New York and Washington D.C. brought searing pain to communities across the United States. We have watched in horror and sadness as the terrible aftermath of these acts unfolded. We have looked for ways to help and have witnessed an outpouring of solidarity from within and beyond our borders. We mourn the loss of loved ones and friends and of strangers as well. There are many statements circulating from religious and peace organizations, expressing anger, outrage, and terrible fear of what the future will hold. We know that justice under law for the perpetrators is essential, but many of us believe that precipitous military retaliation is more likely to exacerbate the violence than to end it. We have to eradicate terrorism of all kinds by addressing the hatred and exclusion that sustain it and promoting global solidarity toward understanding and human dignity. Racism, intolerance and scapegoating of our Muslim or Arab brothers and sisters must be resoundingly rejected before they destroy the soul of our wounded nation. The U.S. will never be the same again--these are watershed days of irreversible change. Surely these events will evoke deep reflection on who we are as a people and how we are in the world. A period of national introspection may help us retrieve a measure of hope out of the havoc and begin to transform our relationships with other peoples and nations. Perhaps now is the time to ask "Why?" and to address the roots of entrenched anti-U.S. sentiment around the world. In the coming weeks,
In the days and months ahead, may we resist the overwhelming temptation to revenge--honoring the memory of those who died in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon by pursuing a course of action that is guided by truth, refuses to exacerbate the violence, promotes understanding and reconciliation and leads to justice under international law.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns: Peace, Social Justice & Integrity of Creation |