Torture 'morally intolerable,' says ad signed by cardinal, others

Published: 2006-06-13

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick joined with 26 other faith leaders June 13 in calling for a clear U.S. policy against torture and cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of detainees. The cardinal, the retired archbishop of Washington, was among the signers of an ad in The New York Times sponsored by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. "Torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions, in their highest ideals, hold dear," the advertisement said. "Any policies that permit torture and inhumane treatment are shocking and morally intolerable." In a news release, Cardinal McCarrick said every human being has "a special dignity ... that comes from the fact that we are brothers and sisters in God's one human family." He added, "It is because of this that we all feel that torture is a dehumanizing and terrible attack against human nature and the respect we owe for each other."

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