Province News

Peruvian Jesuits share experiences and suggestions about terrorism in letter to President Bush
Wednesday, October 24, 2001

September 26, 2001

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
U.S.A.

Dear Mr. President:

As Jesuit priests all of whom were born in the United States and all of whom have been working in Peru for many years, we want to write to you in the first place to express our solidarity and concern for the victims of the attacks in New York City, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania and offer our prayers for the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in those terrorist attacks. Along with all Americans, and indeed the rest of the world, we are appalled by what happened.

We also experience a deep anger toward those who so callously took innocent lives, no matter what their grievances might have been. In honor of justice that is based on truth, we also demand that those responsible for these acts of evil be brought to justice.

From our own experience of living in a country which suffered from the plague of terrorism, nevertheless we know for certain that we cannot act out of anger alone. Although much time is required so that the victims of terrorism can move beyond their visceral feelings and recover their sense of identity and dignity, it is only when we act from our heads and our hearts rather than from our guts that we have the possibility of believing once more in our common humanity and of living in this world as brothers and sisters.

Here in Peru it took us a long time to learn about the nature of terrorism and to find effective ways to struggle against it. We do not want the people of our native land to have to endure the same struggle of trial and error. We do not want our fellow countrymen and women to fall into the same trap of the vicious circle of violence breeding more violence.

We are not so naïve as to think that no military solution is possible. But we do know that what finally conquered terrorism in this country tactically was the combination of excellent investigation work and the defense pacification squads set up by the armed forces in the rural communities. Only when the terrorists could not demand support from the villagers did their campaign begin to decline. On the other hand, when the police and armed forces themselves used their military might for direct attacks against the terrorists in the rural communities, they created a situation which made the terrorists appear to be the better alternative.

Terrorism is bred by ideological means, and it finds its ultimate justification in the poverty of the people who have no hope for a better life. Therefore, terrorism must be attacked on those same levels – by offering another “ideology” to counteract the terrorist system and by responding to the root causes of violence.

Therefore, we respectfully suggest that the United States consider the following alternatives to an all-out use of force:

If half the money being used to finance the military attack on the countries proved to be harboring the terrorists (Afghanistan) were used to support humanitarian programs in the countries which border on Afghanistan, the people themselves would begin to see that there are alternatives. The use of the aid money would have to be determined by the local governments, in deed on a local level within each country, with the U.S. reserving the right to audit the programs to prevent corruption. We should do this, not to convince people that America is right, but simply because that is the humanitarian way to end the root causes of violence. Of course, such a program would require immense expenditures which will not only mean a redistribution of the government budget but also that every American family reflect on the sacrifices required in their own patterns of consumption in order to finance such a massive program.

The immediate cause for the belief of some fundamentalist Islamic groups that the United States is the enemy is our support of Israel. We are definitely not saying that the U.S. should not support Israel. But we are saying that the U.S. should use all of its diplomatic efforts to pressure both Israel and the Palestinian movements to come to terms with each other in a definitive project of co-existence. If the Israel-Palestine issue could be solved, the fundamentalist groups would no longer have their basic argument for attacking Americans.

Finally, we hope that our Churches in America, and as Jesuit priests we mean specifically the Christian Churches, should begin an intensive program of interreligious dialogue in order to understand better what Islam really is and to distinguish between the original inspiration of the Prophet Mohammed from the twisted beliefs of a minuscule group who have perverted the tenets of Islam.

In all of these suggestions, Mr. President, we are concerned with finding ways of combating terrorism effectively which will lead to a lasting peace. We join with you in our prayers to the same God of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam towards that objective.

Sincerely yours,

U.S. Jesuits, originally from the Chicago and Detroit provinces, currently working in Peru:

Rev. Robert E. Beckman, S.J., Center of Ignatian Spirituality, Lima
Rev. Patrick M. Casey, S.J., San José Jesuit High School, Arequipa
Rev. Francis Chamberlain, S.J., Parish of Our Lady of the Agustino, Lima
Rev. Robert L. Dolan, S.J., La Inmaculada Jesuit High School, Lima
Rev. Kevin H. Flaherty, S.J., Juniorate Seminary, Lima
Rev. Kevin E. Gallagher, S.J., La Inmaculada Jesuit High School, Lima
Rev. T. Mattingly Garr, S.J., Bishops’ Social Action Commission, Lima
Rev. Jeffrey L. Klaiber, S.J., Catholic University of Peru, Lima
Rev. L. Charles Murtaugh, S.J. Parish of Our Lady the Desamparados, Lima
Rev. James M. O’Leary, S.J., Fe y Alegría Jesuit High School, Jaén
Rev. James J. Regan, S.J. Amazon Center for Applied Anthropology, Lima
Rev. Edward P. Schmidt, S.J., University of the Pacific, Lima

Jesuit Provincial address in Peru
Avenida Costa Rica 256 – Jesús María
Lima 11, Peru