More Senseless Loss

Iraq Anglican heads feared dead: in addition to today's horrific car bomb reports, the BBC just reported that all five leaders of St. George's, Baghdad, the last remaining Anglican church in Iraq, have probably been killed. The presiding bishop for Jerusalem and the Middle East, which oversees the Anglican presence in Bagdhad, says he doubts that they were targeted; like many others, they were on the road, returning from a trip to Jordan on September 13th, and simply disappeared. The story has been suppressed by church officials until now, while the U.S. tried to check on the missing people.

Every death is one too many. These - of surely courageous, dedicated people who have simply been trying to help others and keep their parish going - made me especially sad today, perhaps because it is easier for me to put myself in their shoes.

Comments

[Marja-Leena]

Senseless and sad indeed, as are all the numerous lives lost in Iraq. When will they have peace in that country?

[Lois]

It was easier to respond to yesterday's post than this one, and then I challenged myself to come back and break through the sense of hopelessness I feel when I read something like this. The war in Iraq is an obscene lie (let's be honest and call it "the invasion of Iraq") and so many innocent people are suffering. We've actually managed to set the country back in many basic ways according to a friend who spoke at our church on Sunday upon his return from Iraq. I do not want to whine. But maybe, just maybe, we need to continue to raise our voices even though we feel helpless to break through the deceits and deceptions that surround the whole thing. So I'm weighing in with my heartache and hoping that somehow more and more of us will come together to stop this thing. I'm proud to say that my son attended the peace rally in Washington this past weekend and said that it was very inspiring.

[beth]

Thanks for commenting, Marja-Leena and Lois. It makes me feel less alone in my outrage and sadness when people take the time to express their feelings too. Like you, I try to find positive outlets for my feelings of helplessness, grief, and anger - but there are some days when the sadness just outweighs everything else and is better expressed than bottled up.

[anasalwa]

beth,
I'm with you. Everytime I read about another senseless killing and death, I wonder how many more lives or how much longer we have to go on with this before we learn that we have to include instead of exclude, we have to look at the similarity instead of focusing of our differences? It reminds me of Marvin Gaye's song when he said"......war is not the answer...."