During the month of June our parish is participating in the National
Religious Campaign Against Torture.
- Final Comments
- Torture Is Wrong
- Some Church Teaching
- U.S. Bishop's Letter to the U.S. Senate
Final Comments
Final comments for Torture Awareness Month
We know very little about how many prisoners we've tortured, what kinds
of torture we've used and for how long. These facts are unavailable
because of concerns about national security, revelation of state
secrets and executive privilege. This is what we sort of know:
o Our military forces and the FBI and not allowed to torture
o The CIA has been allowed to "take the gloves off" [George Tenet]
but what they do is not (by executive definition) torture. It is
"enhanced interrogation". [Executive Order July 2007] (Waterboarding
was made off-limits in 2006, but its future use has not been taken off
the shelf.)
o In the current trials of five terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay
two of the accused have claimed they were tortured.
o There have been reports of torture at Bagram Air Force Base in
Afghanistan and at Abu Ghraib.
o There are reports of transporting captives ["renditions"] to nations
for interrogations that involve torture. Syria, Egypt, Bulgaria and
one of the -stans have been named. (Our government spokesmen have
assured us these nations have pledged not to torture these captives.)
o In October 2006 the President signed the Military Commissions Act.
Its language forbids the use of torture but weakens its protections by
excluding from due process "unlawful enemy combatants". The measure
authorizes the President to "interpret the meaning and application of
the Geneva Conventions". It grants retroactive immunity to civilians
since 9/11who may have violated the Conventions. It allows evidence so
obtained to be admitted in trials.
This is not a shining moment for our nation. Assuredly, we don't rank
up there with the Big Bad Boys - Idi Amin, the Gestapo, Pol Pot and
that ilk. While this may be of some comfort, nonetheless.we've
crossed that bright line that separates the Good from the Bad. We're
on the wrong side of the ledger.
Human dignity is a precious thing. To violate it, to degrade it, to
de-humanize it is to diminish as well our virtue. As citizens and as
people of faith (faithful citizens) we can try to stop torture. We may
not be successful, but there is virtue in failure. Call or write your
Congressional office and ask for another effort to ban torture. What
would Jesus do? . . . Jesus or Jack Bauer?
TORTURE IS WRONG
In every war and in times of international tensions there have been
many noble acts, and some ignoble ones which may have been deemed
noble or necessary at the time. In the world's history all actors
have, at one time or another, worn the black hat. Torture was
inflicted during some of these.* Some atrocities were the acts of
individuals, some of small groups in the heat of battle or for
vengeance, some of national rationalized policies and practices, some
explosively done and over with, some enduring.
Building on mid-eighteenth century humanitarian concerns, the international
community arrived at consensus for the Geneva Conventions. These were
to mitigate or eliminate deaths and mistreatment of prisoners of war
and civilian populations and to end inhumane and barbaric treatment of
combatants and non-combatants. But, puny in their controls and
toothless in their penalties, the Conventions have been sometimes
honored more in the breach than the observance. (At least 14 of the
footnoted list* occurred with the Conventions in place - although not
all perpetrators were signatories.)
THE CURRENT CAMPAIGN:
On March 8, 2008, Cardinal George, President of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, wrote to President Bush about HR 2082, the FY 2008
Intelligence Act. Its section 327 extended the ban on torture (it
already governed the armed forces and F.B.I.) to intellligence
agencies. The letter quoted an address of Pope Benedict XVI on Sept.
6, 2007: "I reiterate that the prohibition against torture cannot be
contravened under any circumstances." Cardinal George concluded his
letter by saying the United States, a champion of human rights, should
avoid being perceived abroad as contravening the provision of the
Geneva Conventions.
Shortly thereafter President Bush vetoed HR 2082. The House of
Representatives failed to override the veto.
Sometime earlier (Nov. 2, 2006) Bishop William Skylstad, then-President
of the USCCB, joined 23 national religious leaders (four Orthodox
archbishops, bishops and metropolitans (Serbian, Romanian, Antiochan,
Greek), five rabbis, Episcopal, Baptist, United Methodist,
Presbyterian, Islamic Society, Sikh, Unitarian Universalist, United
Church of Christ, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Moravian,
in a statement "Torture Is a Moral Issue."
*An incomplete list: Pogroms, St. Bartholomew's Day, the Gunpowder
Plot, Andersonville and Libby prisons, the Hanoi Hilton**, the Gestapo,
the Kempei, Cheka, OGPU, the Gulag Archipelago, My Lai, Abu Ghraib,
the Bataan death march, the Inquisition, concentration camps and gas
ovens, relocation centers, renditions, Katyn Forest and Malmedy
massacres, the killing fields of Cambodia, Nanking, Col. Chivington and
Sand Creek, Tudor religious persecutions, Guernica.
**We associate the Hanoi Hilton with Sen. John McCain. A lesser
known fact is that former OLR parishioner Cmdr. Richard N. Stratton,
USN, spent more then 1000 days in captivity there and suffered similar
treatment.
Some Church Teaching
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2298): "In times past,
cruel practices were commonly used by legitimate governments to
maintain law and order, often without protest from the Pastors of the
Church, who themselves adopted in their own tribunals the prescriptions
of Roman law concerning torture. Regrettable as these facts are, the
Church always taught the duty of clemency and mercy. She forbade
clerics to shed blood. In recent times it has become evident that
these cruel practices were neither necessary for public order, nor in
conformity with the legitimate rights of the human person. On the
contrary, these practices led to ones even more degrading. It is
necessary to work for their abolition. We must pray for the victims
and their tormentors."
From the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church (#404):
[This section deals with criminal investigations but could apply to the
infliction of torture in any circumstance.] "In carrying out
investigations, the regulation against the use of torture must be
strictly observed. 'Christ's disciple refuses every recourse to such
methods, which nothing could justify and in which the dignity of man
is as much debased in his torturer as in the torturer's victim.' *
International juridical instruments concerning human rights correctly
indicate a prohibition against torture as a principle which cannot be
contravened under any circumstances."
*Pope John Paul II, 3/31/00
From Catholic News Service, 10/31/07 - Press release from Cardinal
Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace:
"Christians are called to cooperate for the defense of human rights
and for the abolition of . . . torture, inhuman or degrading
treatment both in wartime and in times of peace. 'These practices are
grave crimes against the human person created in the image of God and a
scandal for the human family in the 21st century. "
From "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship - A Call to Political
Responsibility", USCCB: "Other assaults on human life and dignity,
such as genocide, torture, racism or the targeting of noncombatants in
acts of terror or war, can never be justified. Disrespect for any
human life diminishes respect for all human life."
Bishops' Comment on Abu Ghraib: (from ZENIT.org) - Statement of Bishop
John Ricard, chairman of U.S.Bishops' International Policy Committee:
"The abuse and torture of Iraqi prisoners have brought shame upon our
nation, is an affront to our most basic ideals, and will undermine
legitimate efforts to confront the very real threats faced by our
nation and our world."
Bishop Ricard said the abuse highlighted "two related moral risks that
could arise in responding to the horrors of September 11 and the
difficulties in Iraq." The first: a sense of "exceptionalism. We can
lose sight of the hard truth that the twin feelings of victimization
and moral superiority do not free us from the moral obligation to
uphold the basic rights even of our worst enemies who, themselves, show
contempt for such rights."
The second moral risk: when "the gravity of the threats we face tempt
us to tolerate an ends-justify-the-means morality."
U.S. Bishop's Letter to the U.S. Senate
December 17, 2007
Dear Senator:
As Chairman of the Committee on International Policy of the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops, I am writing regarding proposed legislation in HR 2082,
the Intelligence Authorization Act, to prohibit torture as an interrogation technique. I urge
you to ensure that the United States continues to insist upon the highest ethical standards
and fully complies with U.S. commitments to observe international law in its treatment of
detainees whether here in the United States or abroad.
In 2005 our Conference of Bishops encouraged Congress to adopt provisions in the
FY2006 Defense Appropriations Act prescribing uniform standards for the interrogation of
persons under the detention of the Department of Defense and prohibiting cruel, inhuman
and degrading treatment or punishment of persons under the custody or control of the
United States government. We welcomed President Bush's endorsement of those
provisions. When Congress adopted them, the United States began to answer the profound
moral question of how we should treat detainees. This issue has a major impact on human
dignity and on the way the United States is viewed abroad.
We hoped that through these recent actions the United States would regain the
moral high ground on this issue. We also hoped that these favorable actions would not be
jeopardized by any proposed or adopted legislation or other actions that would appear to
once again decriminalize torture and abusive conduct. Any legislation adopted by the
Congress must be unambiguous on these issues, just as the U.S. Army Field Manual is
unambiguous in rejecting torture and cruel treatment as dangerous, unreliable and illegal.
As you know, the United States has long supported Common Article 3 of the
Geneva Conventions, which prohibits "cruel treatment and torture" as well as "outrages
upon personal dignity, in particular humiliating and degrading treatment?." Our own
troops and citizens benefit from the protections of this standard. As events continue to
unfold in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, we recognize that combating terrorism remains
a top priority for Congress and the Administration. We also recognize, however, that any
report of prisoner mistreatment by members of the armed forces of the United States or its
allies could seriously undermine U.S. efforts to defeat terrorism.
More importantly, prisoner mistreatment compromises human dignity. A respect for
the dignity of every person, ally or enemy, must serve as the foundation of security, justice
and peace. There can be no compromise on the moral imperative to protect the basic human
rights of any individual incarcerated for any reason.
We share the concern of lawmakers and citizens for the safety of U.S. soldiers and
civilians serving abroad in these times of great uncertainty and danger. In the face of this
perilous climate, our nation must not embrace a morality based on an attitude that
"desperate times call for desperate measures" or "the end justifies the means." The inherent
justice of our cause and the perceived necessities involved in confronting terrorism must
not lead to a weakening or disregard of U.S. or international law.
In a time of terrorism and fear, our individual and collective obligations to respect
dignity and human rights, even of our worst enemies, gains added importance. Reaffirming
the standards contained in Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions would reflect the
conviction that our nation must treat its prisoners as we would expect our enemies to treat
our own military personnel or citizens. We urge you to support proposed legislative
language that would definitively implement America's commitment to Common Article 3.
Preserving the strong U.S. commitment to humane and ethical treatment of detainees would
continue your efforts to restore the moral credibility of the United States at a crucial time.
Thank you for your consideration of our views on the just treatment of prisoners
and detainees.
Sincerely yours,
Bishop Thomas G. Wenski
Bishop of Orlando
Chairman, Committee on International Policy