Some Catholics are urging the U.S. government to go all out to prevent “genocide” in the Middle East and to crush the Islamic State with military force. They are making a serious mistake. Catholics need to debate among themselves and reflect on this crisis, not blindly follow the lead of the same authorities who bear a huge responsibility for creating this disaster in the first place.

Here is a new editorial from the New Oxford Review which can help us to think about this terrifying situation in a responsible manner:

The Blood Crying Out from the Ground

Please consider these important points from the article:

“Yes, we Westerners are struggling with a case of war fatigue. But averting our eyes and covering our ears won’t alter the fact that we bear direct responsibility for the sufferings currently being visited upon the Iraqi people — including the very vulnerable Iraqi Christians.”

“Rather, the Christian comes as a sacrifice, prepared to make a holocaust of himself in martyrdom, following the example of James Foley. It is easy to demand that others fight our wars for us. The harder, more necessary task is to stand up in the fray and call for peace.”

“As we grapple with how best to respond, we would do well to reflect on our role in creating the crisis currently afflicting Iraq. It is time we as a nation put on sackcloth and sat in ashes, time we fasted and prayed, beat our breasts and cried out to our Lord and our fellowman for forgiveness, and resolved never to repeat our errors.”