Letter to Prime Minister Chrétien: Canada’s Response to September 11

Dear Prime Minister,

First of all we join you, as do all our fellow citizens, in expressing profound sorrow and compassion for all those who died and those who now suffer as a result of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. As representatives of a very broad Christian ecumenical community we join with Muslims, Jews, Hindus and many other faith communities who have condemned these acts of terror, confident in the knowledge that the God who cares for all peoples of the world now calls us all to recommit to the pursuit of justice and peace.

We write also to offer our prayerful support to you and your Government as you search for the path of wisdom and compassion in these extraordinary circumstances. We especially appreciate what we understand to be your search for a careful, balanced response. We identify with your statement to the

House of Commons when you pledge that Canada’s actions will

“…be guided by a spirit of wisdom and perseverance, by our values and our way of life. As we press the struggle, let us never, ever, forget who we are and what we stand for.”

In the face of the grief and rage that tempt many to yield to vengeful retaliation, the appeal to enduring values and principles helps to steer us toward more measured and, in the end, more effective action. We fear that the widespread use of the language of “war” is undermining efforts to understand the true nature of the challenges that terrorist attacks present to the world.