Iraq Bishop Group

The Boston Globe:

BALTIMORE -- The nation's Catholic bishops, saying the United States needs to move past the "shrill and shallow debate" of last week's midterm Congressional elections, declared yesterday that the goal in Iraq should be justice and peace, rather than victory, and that the nation should withdraw its forces at the earliest opportunity, consistent with a responsible transition.

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The bishops, who have consistently expressed moral concerns about the war, did not call for immediate withdrawal, saying the United States now has "moral responsibilities to help Iraqis to secure and rebuild their country." But the bishops said the "terrible toll" in Iraqi and American lives now requires a discussion driven by "moral urgency, substantive dialogue, and new directions."