Subject: An Appeal from Dr. Helen Caldicott to the Pope
From: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> helen caldicott
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 11:01 AM
Dear Friends,
I write this appeal for your help as a pediatrician, a mother, and a
grandmother -- and I am writing about the lives of tens of thousands
of children.
Although the current administration has demonstrated it has no
reservations about slaughtering up to 500,000 innocents in Iraq, there
is one person whose life they absolutely will not risk. That person is
Pope John Paul II.
The Pope has already formally denounced the proposed war, calling it
a defeat for humanity, and also has sent his top spokesperson.
However, to stop the war, he now must take a historically
unprecedented action of his own and travel to Baghdad. The Pope's
physical presence in Iraq will act as the ultimate human shield,
during which time leaders of the world's nations can commit
themselves to identifying and implementing a peaceful solution to a
war that the world's majority clearly does not support.
To persuade the Holy Father to take this unusual but potent action,
he must hear from you and millions of others around the world who
have already been inspired to stand up and speak out for peace. A
mountain of surface mail, email, faxes, and phone calls are our
devices to inspire him.
Please understand that your taking just a few minutes right now to
communicate with him may ultimately spare the lives of thousands
of innocent people who at this moment live in complete terror from
the threat of an imminent U.S.-lead military strike on their
homeland.
So here is what you can do to be a part of this powerful final action to
stop the march to war in Iraq.
1. Do not simply "forward" the letter below. Its power depends upon your
sending it directly, as a personal communication to the Pope.
2. Simply cut and paste the letter below into a new email. Also cut
and paste the Vatican email address we have provided.
3. At the close of the letter, type in your name, city and state--no need
to include your address.
4. Either email, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (or if that doesn't work, try:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]), FAX ([from USA] 011-
39-06698-85378--from other countries drop the 011 prefix -- or send a
hard copy of this letter to the addresses in the letter below. DO NOT
put "Italy" anywhere on the envelope, as this will send your mail
into the Italian mail system which is separate and independent of the
Vatican system. Should you wish to phone the Vatican directly, (from
USA) dial 011-39-06-69-82--all other countries must use their
appropriate international prefix.
5. Pass this original email on to as many people you can so as to
assure a critical mass is reached in this action.
6. Note that as you and others begin sending your letters, faxes and
emails, there will be a simultaneous effort to alert the media of this
action, so as to be sure it is publicly known throughout the world.
Thank you for participating in this formal request of the Pope. We
just may stop this war in Iraq -- and save these childrens' lives.
Dr. Helen Caldicott
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Sample letter:
His Holiness John Paul II
Apostolic Palace
00120 Vatican City State
Europe
Your Holiness:
I write to you today out of a sense of great urgency. As you know the
United States of America is on the verge of launching what may be
one of the most cataclysmic wars in history using weapons of mass
destruction upon the Iraqi people, fifty percent of whom are less than
15 years of age.
Conservative estimates are that such a war will result in the death of
500,000 Iraqis. It seems clear that, at this time, you are the only person
on Earth who can stop this war. Indeed, your physical presence in
Baghdad, will prevent the impending slaughter of hundreds of
thousands of human beings, and force the international community
of nations to identify and implement a truly peaceful resolution to
this unprecedented, preemptive aggression.
I implore you to travel to Baghdad and to remain there until a
peaceful solution to this crisis has been implemented. The lives of
the people of Iraq rest in your hands - as does the fate of the world.
With hope,
Your name, Your City, State, Country
===============
"National Council of Churches Leaders Ask Pope To Stop Bush"
ROME, Italy - A U.S. church leaders delegation in Rome February 26-27
delivered a plea to Pope John Paul II during a public audience, asking that
he come to New York to address the U.N. Security Council -- and, in so
doing, address the U.S. public -- on his opposition to war with Iraq.
http://indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=241192
--------
"Papal envoy presses Bush on Iraq" BBC, 3/1/03
"Pope John Paul II has decided to send a personal envoy to Washington
to deliver a message to United States President George W Bush about the
threatened war against Iraq.
"The Vatican has already made it amply clear that it opposes the US
administration's plan for war against Iraq to remove President Saddam
Hussein from power.
..."The Pope has no illusions about the chances of his envoy
persuading Mr Bush to change his mind.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2811047.stm
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http://www.vatican.va/phome_en.htm
