October 8, 2001

My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We as a country and as a community of faith have been waiting for our political leaders to actively respond to those hateful acts of terrorism perpetrated this September 11 when more than 5,000 innocent people lost their lives. It has been something that has been on the minds of each and every one of us. Wherever we go, whatever we do, the conversation eventually turns to this tragic event.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on just war requires consideration of proportionality and the potential loss of innocent lives. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the Holy Father’s spokesman, said that while the Church places a high value on peace, he reminded us that the “common good is sometimes above it.”

In fact, Joaquin Navarro-Valls said during the Holy Father’s visits to Kazakhstan and Armenia that the pope was not a “pacifist” at any cost. Indeed, he would understand if the United States decided to go after the terrorists in self-defense even if this aggressive action left some innocent persons dead.

Therefore, I encourage Catholics of the Archdiocese of Atlanta to follow the request of the Holy Father and pray the rosary daily to seek the intercession of Mary, the mother of God and patron of our country, to protect all of humanity from the evils of terrorism.

Yesterday, we heard that the United States had responded with military force to the terrorist attacks of September 11. Today I publicly call the action of the United States “appropriate and measured” and conditionally support President Bush in his decision to declare war on terrorism.

President Bush also said that yesterday’s military action is designed to clear the way for “sustained, comprehensive and relentless operations” to drive the terrorists out of their hiding places.

His statement made me aware that our prayer life must be similarly active. Its focus must be upon God. It must be sustained in good times and bad. Right now it is easy to pray as we ask God for peace, for unity among people of all faiths, and that the God of love, justice and mercy will guide our leaders as they deal with those who orchestrated these and other acts of terrorism in an effort to bring them to justice.

Our prayer should be comprehensive—we should pray for the leaders of all nations, the military men and women who will face the enemy in our place and the families they have left behind. We must not forget the families who lost loved ones in the initial attack; healing will take a long time. We must pray that Muslims in America do not suffer a shameful persecution in this “land of the free.”

We should ask our Lord to send His Holy Spirit with His gifts of wisdom, fortitude and grace to our country’s leaders so that the decisions they make will be in the best interests of all and will remain focused upon the real purpose and limits of this military response.

Do not, however, during prayer, forget to thank our awesome God for His many gifts. This land, its people, the freedoms it grants us and the many blessings with which it has been endowed should be gratefully acknowledged at a time like this.

Our current unity of spirit is wonderful to see and our glorious flag has reappeared everywhere. Supplying food and medical supplies to Afghan refugees represents an admirable attempt to help the innocent victims of the Taliban regime. But there will certainly be many opportunities during this conflict for each of us to witness Christ in serving others. In this spirit I ask you to continue to contribute when you are personally able to the humanitarian efforts of the United States. The financial generosity of our people to the Red Cross and Catholic Charities USA for the families of September 11 victims and relief agencies should make every American proud.

Finally, remember to pray for the repose of the souls of those lost September 11 during each Mass you attend. It is during Mass that Christ’s sacrifice of His life for our salvation is celebrated. Stay close to the Eucharist because this is the food, the nourishment that each one of us needs for his spiritual and physical journey.

May the God of all consolation open our hearts to His Word, so that listening to it, we may comfort one another, pray with one another and support one another, finding faith in a time of doubt and light in the time of darkness. Our Lady, Queen of Victory, pray for us...

Most Reverend John F. Donoghue

Archbishop of Atlanta