A few months ago thousands of citizens across
Europe and Germany spontaneously gathered in streets and city squares
to tearfully mourn with America and pray for us on Sept. 11. These past
few months hundreds of thousands have again gathered to pray for peace.
These services and marches haven’t been anti-American (at least not the
ones I attended), but they have been anti-war, anti-violence as a
lasting solution to the world’s problems.
The Europeans are deeply distressed. They
repeatedly ask, “Why is Bush (fairly or unfairly, it’s always “Bush”)
so impatient? Why does he insist on war now? Why is he so arrogant
toward the United Nations and the rest of the world?”
I’ve tried
to reassure them. “The American people are peace-loving. We won’t
support an unjust war. Even if our president is impatient, our elected
representatives and churches will be voices for reason, moderation and
understanding.” And so we prayed, marched and sang, “We shall overcome”
— together.
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