President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20501

Dear Mr. President:

As you may know, we pray for you in all our churches every time Holy Communion is celebrated, and you can be sure that I and all Episcopalians know what difficult decisions you face around the world. We also pray for peace. With those prayers in mind, I wanted to share my views about war in Iraq.

Within the Episcopal Diocese of New York, which includes three boroughs in New York City and seven counties in the Hudson Valley, I encounter congregants in three camps. First, some Episcopalians have reviewed the arguments for and against war in Iraq, and agree with you that war is necessary. Second, another group will follow the President in foreign policy relatively uncritically. However, a third and quite large group believe that the idea of preemptive war is dangerous, and that the necessity for war in Iraq has yet to be justified. I am in the third camp.

I chose the term "justified" with care, because Christians have debated for almost a thousand years the criteria for a so-called "just war," with war always recognized as the choice of last resort. Many, including myself, have supported military action against Al Qaeda as justifiable self-defense, but are not persuaded that war in Iraq is necessary.

If we do go to war, the evidence from my diocese suggests that you will be leading a country that will be deeply divided. You and I both remember from the 1960s and early 1970s how painful that can be. My prayer is that you and your colleagues will give diplomacy every opportunity to succeed, and that you will find it possible to use deterrence and containment, not military action, to keep Saddam Hussein in check.

Please be assured that you are and will continue to be in my prayers.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Mark S. Sisk
Fifteenth Bishop of New York