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Friday, March 21, 2003

By Ann Rodgers-Melnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

With war under way it is no longer time for debate but for prayer, Bishop Donald Wuerl told Catholics gathered for noon Mass at St. Mary of Mercy Church, Downtown.

	John Vaskov prays during a noon mass by Bishop Wuerl at St. Mary of Mercy Church, Downtown. "Today we recognize that armed conflict is underway in Iraq and as believers we turn once again to God in prayer," Wuerl said. (John Beale, Post-Gazette)

Later in the day, flanked by Muslim, Jewish and Protestant religious leaders, he would issue an interfaith statement with similar themes, which also warned the community against falling into religious or ethnic bigotry.

About 350 people attended the noon Mass, slightly more than usual but not enough to fill the pews. Wuerl, who was vested in Lenten purple, recalled that two weeks ago he had asked them to make Lent a season of prayer for peace.

Then he had echoed the statements of the U.S. bishops, who said that the situation in Iraq did not appear to meet the church's standards for a "just war."

"A great deal has been said about the just war theory, its conditions and its application. Several weeks ago it was fitting to debate this matter. Today the situation has changed," Wuerl said yesterday.

"Our president, together with the leadership of allied nations, has concluded that the action they have ordered is justified. This is a gravely serious decision, but one I believe they have made conscientiously. Good people can arrive at differing conclusions using the same moral principles applied to a highly complex, concrete situation."

But prayer is still the order of the day, he said.

	Yusef Ali, assistant to the director of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh is greeted by Bishop Donald Wuerl during a meeting of religious leaders yesterday at St. Paul Seminary in Carnegie. (John Beale, Post-Gazette)

"We must pray for peace. Every one of us, whatever our political persuasion, our conviction about the military action under way, our economic condition, cultural or ethnic background, is a child of God," he said.

"May God bless our president, our military personnel, our peacemakers, and all the human family ... that still has so much to learn about Jesus' gospel, about Jesus' way and our following that path."

Wuerl said he had already been in prayer for military personnel called to active duty who had asked him to pray for them.

"They have not asked for this struggle, but are asked to place themselves in harm's way for the sake of their nation," he said.

He asked for prayer for innocent people in harm's way both in Iraq and the United States. And he stressed that the conflict was political, not theological.

"This is not a conflict about or among the three great religious traditions. Christians, Jews and Muslims live together in peace in this country and do so in many parts of the world. We must not confuse state policy with religious conviction or faith," he said.

Mass-goers said Wuerl had struck the right chord.

"He was right on point. You have to get behind the troops in prayer. We can't control everything. The Lord is in control," said Chris McEwen, 34, of Ross, a tax accountant.

Gertrude Fajerski, 75, of Carrick, waited to thank Wuerl after Mass.

"There is nothing greater than the power of prayer. We know so many young men who are there right now, and all we can do is pray. I feel so sorry for all the innocent people -- our young men and all the people of Iraq," she said.

Later Wuerl met at St. Paul Catholic Seminary in Crafton with 25 members of the Religious Leadership Forum, representing Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders from southwestern Pennsylvania.

The meeting had been called weeks ago to consider how to prevent acts of bigotry or violence against Muslims or Jews if war broke out. It took participants just 45 minutes to draft a call to prayer, which they unanimously endorsed.

"We have gathered with a sense of urgency: to build and strengthen relationships and to protect the safety of our neighbors in the face of unjustified prejudice," the statement said.

"Our role today as religious leaders is not to analyze the history or the geopolitical judgments that have led to this war. Our concern is to address the spiritual needs that come with this war in which we are now engaged."

It called on all people of faith to pray for wisdom to be granted to political leaders and for members of the armed forces and innocent civilians to be protected from harm. It asked "for all of us to defend the rights of every person in our midst regardless of faith or race" and to "resolve to labor together for a just and sustainable peace."

Pittsburgh's Muslim and Jewish communities have a history of cooperation. A dozen years ago local synagogues collected winter clothes for Muslims under siege in Sarajevo. Sitting next to Adel Fergany, president of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Alvin Berkun of Tree of Life Congregation stressed the importance of building good relationships.

"We did not know when we set this meeting up several weeks ago how important today would be in terms of the events of the world. The reality was that there had been hate crimes and there is prejudice and we wanted to make sure that at least the community would hear from the religious leadership group in Greater Pittsburgh that we are all neighbors and we really need to relate to one anther as fellow human beings, as people of faith, and not to speak ill of one another," Berkun said.

Ann Rodgers-Melnick can be reached at arodgersmelnick@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416.