There are inevitable dangers in acting in a context of collective injustice. Whenever those who have been victimised by injustice identify a whole country or people as collectively responsible for that injustice, the chances of innocent people paying the highest price are dramatically increased. When the quest for justice becomes animated by patriotic fervour, the risks are amplified further. We are concerned that the rush to portray criminal acts of terror as acts of war has resulted in an unfortunate blurring of individual and collective injustice. This impreciseness may ultimately sacrifice a great many lives, and with them family-hood and livelihood. The idea that "They must pay" is always a notion with serious ethical implications, especially if we denominate that payment in human lives. It is all the more dangerous if we are not completely certain who "they" are.

Christ's message to humanity was one of peace, compassion and mutual tolerance. Consequently, some Christian denominations--including some members of the SACC--believe that war can never be justified. Even among Christian traditions that uphold the doctrine of a just war, there is a consensus that such actions are only morally justified on a limited scale. The actions must, among other things, comply with the principle of proportionality. We are concerned that this principle be rigorously applied in the moral evaluation of the war that has been unleashed on Afghanistan in the name of a war on terror. The reports that we receive suggest that it has not.

Similarly, we are deeply disturbed by the willingness of the President of the United States to sanction officially the assassination of certain individuals. His decision to give agents of the USA written license to kill has been widely reported in the South African media. If these accounts are accurate, then the moral quality of the war on terror is at stake. In many parts of the world, victims of injustice are working for justice. At the heart of their activities lies the call on all governments to act within the rule of law and to be seen to act in accordance with due legal process. Legitimate defense must defend the rule of law and respect human dignity.

The violence of 11 September has, itself, been an attack on our common, universal dignity and, more directly, on the dignity of people in the United States. We fear that President Bush's decree compounds this assault by violating one of the most cherished principles on which constitutional democracy and Christian morality are built. In the last fifty years, the global community has worked diligently to develop institutions, such as the United Nations and the World Court, capable of enforcing shared international standards of justice. We do not believe that these channels have yet been exhausted. We therefore appeal to all parties to explore ways of using these bodies to secure lasting justice and durable peace.

Our fervent hope is that, in the wake of the events of 11 September, all people and nations will be fired by a shared commitment to social, political and economic justice. We call on all governments to make justice a priority in their domestic and international affairs, to redouble their efforts to eradicate poverty, hunger, warfare and disease. This could become the most significant tribute to all who have suffered or died in the past six weeks.