Free the Captives: Witness Against Illegal Detention and Torture

In Baghdad, according to Reuters, the bodies of 16 shooting victims were found in different areas of the capital, amid waves of sectarian violence. 2315 US soldiers have now been killed in Iraq, according to official figures. Iraqi casualties, especially civilians, have been plausibly estimated as in excess of 100,000.

Centre Daily Times published today Christian Peacemaker David Miller's response to an editorial by Cal Thomas:

Thomas wrote, "Peace happens when evil is vanquished."

Many Christian Peacemaker Team members might agree with this statement on the surface. They categorically reject, however, the means Thomas would employ to this end.

Evil is not vanquished by violence. The vision and mission of CPT is grounded in the life and teachings of Jesus. He taught that evil is not overcome with evil, but with good. Those who would follow him in the world are called upon to "love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them." These were not abstractions but a clear, embodied example.

Roots of today's conflict can be traced, in part, to a Christian church that, in the Middle Ages, explained away the clear instructions of its Lord, embraced the sword as a means to end, and embarked on a lethal campaign of crusades that slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Muslims and Jews.

Chuck Fager's response to the same text was posted here previously.

Amid global demonstrations against the present war in Iraq, CPT members in Toronto vigiled in remembrance of preacemakers and the victims of war.

There was no news on Saturday of the fate of the three remaining CPT peaceworkers held captive in Iraq since November 26, 2005.