WAR ON IRAQ

October 2002

Resolved

That the synod

Part A

Affirm the following well-established commitments of the Assembly and the NSW Synod, namely

1 a) acknowledge that God came in the crucified and risen Christ to make peace; that he calls all Christians to be peacemakers, to save life, to heal and to love their neighbours. The call of Christ to make peace is the norm, and the onus of proof rests on any who resort to military force as a means of solving international disputes; b) affirm that the Uniting Church is committed to be a peacemaking body, seeking to follow the Lord of the Church by encouraging political authorities to resolve political tensions by peaceful means; 2 call on the members of the Uniting Church in Australia to support and engage in peacemaking programs and resist reliance on military solutions to political problems; strongly urge the Australian Government to develop an independent foreign policy for Australia, not aligned to either of the super powers;

4 support the Australian Defence Force UCA chaplains in their pastoral work and members of the Church who are members of the Defence Forces, and their families, while also encouraging them to study the church’s statements and resolutions on peace and disarmament matters;

Part B

Call on the Australian Government to (a) act in accordance with the United Nations Charter, which does not permit a pre-emptive military strike against a nation and requires the use of non-violent means of resolving disputes, and thus rule out any participation by Australia in a “pre-emptive strike” on Iraq or any other nation; and (b) urge Australia’s allies, especially the United States of America, to also act in accordance with the United Nations Charter

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