Bishop James Lyke, OFM, has written this letter to the people of the archdiocese as he continues to recuperate at home from surgery. The letter describes his progress and also includes thoughts on military people, their families, government leaders and other aspects of the Persian Gulf war.

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

Our archdiocesan newspaper The Georgia Bulletin is a real blessing in that it enables me to communicate freely and frequently with you. I’m especially grateful for such a gift these days following this January’s surgery. I’ve been able to report that my operation was a complete success, and I’m now happy to share with you that my doctor is very pleased with how my recovery is progressing. He has encouraged me to remain at home for a six-week period of rest and recuperation, and I am trying to be an obedient patient.

Your expressions of concern have been overwhelming and are a wonderful source of support for me. I want to thank all of you for your prayers and get-well greetings. Letters from the young people of the Archdiocese were particularly touching. How I wish I could respond personally to the large number of individual cards and letters. Please accept this general, public reply.

I’m especially appreciative that many of you chose to share this moment in my life by responding to the needs of the homeless with a contribution. Still others expressed their concern by increased attentiveness to the needs of our local Church in their response to our Archdiocesan Annual Appeal. Your care for others has been a powerful sign of your care for me. I have been encouraged and am very grateful.

I must tell you that this surgery and the period of recuperation which has followed have been a school of spirituality. Never in my life have I been so helpless, limited or dependent. Indeed, the pain of being unable to read, or work, or even be in charge of my life has been far worse than the physical effects of the operation. I pray that I shall be drawn deeper into the mystery of the Cross and grow in my empathy for those who are ill and suffering.

The war in the Persian Gulf broke out on the day I returned from the hospital. These days I must give to my recuperation have provided me with countless hours to follow its course on television. It is impossible to watch war’s constant and instant unfolding and not get a sense of its human tragedy and natural devastation.

I reiterate my plea for prayers for the men and women in our Armed Forces. I know you join me in prayer for them and their families here at home. Their parents, spouses, and children have a special place in all our hearts and must be kept in our prayers. Please, pray also for the servicemen and women of the Allied Forces and for their families. Do not forget to pray for the people and forces of Iraq. The dictatorial regime in their own land has brought their nation to war, and they will suffer its ravages in an intensely personal way.

Surely, President Bush, the members of Congress, and other world leaders need the strength, wisdom and insight we beg for in our prayers if they are to lead us to peace. There can be no more difficult moral decision for the President and the congress to make than to decide to engage our nation in war. Whatever support, understanding and loyalty to their decisions our consciences will allow, they certainly deserve our respect and our prayers.

I would be less than honest, however, if I did not share with you my own struggle in conscience with this war and with the implications of modern warfare itself. I have reviewed again and again the Church’s traditional “Just War Theory,” which dates back to Saint Augustine in the fourth century. It is important for us to realize that the intent behind the “Just War Theory” is not to justify war, but to establish principles so stringent as to make war possible. Yet, given today’s technology of war, we must ask whether war can ever be justified. As Pope John Paul II has said:

In the past, it was possible to destroy a village, a town, a region, even a country. Now it is the whole planet that has come under threat.

The possibilities for massive destruction are just too great, and the effects upon peoples are simply too deep and almost irreversible.

The economic cost of modern warfare represents a further scandal that cries to heaven for justice. We are willing to expend our economic resources to wage war: but, we have yet been able to find the will to expend more than a fraction of what those costs will be on education, health care and employment. What a different world we would have if the current resources earmarked for this war could have been made available to assist our people here and in developing countries.

My own Franciscan tradition reflects a preference for and a preoccupation with peace. Saint Francis of Assisi forbade even the lay members of his Order to bear arms against anyone and consequently forced medieval society to resort to other means to resolve its differences. He and my early Franciscan sisters and brothers challenged their contemporaries to a renewed commitment to peace and collaboration. It appears that we are called to a similarly bold posture in our world today. Twenty five years ago Pope Paul VI begged for negotiations that could have prevented the escalation of the Vietnam War. His plea before the United Nations – “No more war! War never again!” – continues to resound over the years and has found an echo in Pope John Paul II’s voice as he begs for dialogue and a cease fire in this war. Our own voices need to take up this prayer. The struggle in the Persian Gulf is a supreme moment of catechesis for all of us!

Again, I thank each and every one of you for your kind expressions of affection, your contributions for the homeless and to our Archdiocese, as well as your fervent prayers during this time of my illness. Please continue to remember me as I continue my recovery. Together, let us intensify our prayers for peace. We need a “surgery” that can remove war from our human experience, so that all God’s people will one day be able to live in mutual respect and cooperation.

The Lord bless and keep you.

+Peace

Most Reverence James P. Lyke, O.F.M.

Apostolic Administrator, sede vacante