Corporate Stances

What We Say

Corporate Stance Against War with Iraq

In light of the escalating humanitarian crisis of the Iraqi people, the entrenched violence of the insurgency, and the plan by the President of the United States to increase the level of US troop presence in the country, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael continue to express their concern for peace.

The time has come for genuine diplomatic and political solutions in Iraq. We urge the US Administration—in collaboration with the United Nations and the International Community—to seek a comprehensive cease fire by all factions in the country and to work with the Iraqi government on issues of national security, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction.  We believe that regional conferences which address the conflicts in the Middle East may open new possibilities for peace in Iraq and we urge the US to participate with a genuine will to achieve peace.

We oppose the escalation of US troop levels and the presence of permanent US military bases. We urge Congress to oppose the Administration’s present policies and plans. It is time for the US government to yield authority to the Iraqi government, their police and military forces so that a planned withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq can begin. We continue to hold the United States Administration and Congress accountable for the ongoing suffering and death of innocent civilians in Iraq.

We urge the Administration and Congress to recognize that the Iraqi refugee situation, precipitated by the US invasion, has added to the destabilization of the entire region. Approximately 2 million Iraqis have fled their country since the inception of war in 2003. It is estimated that inside Iraq there are 1.8 million internally displaced people. We believe that the US government has a moral responsibility to acknowledge the crisis and create responsible immigration policies that offer opportunities for shelter and safety to innocent Iraqi citizens.

We support the Administration’s call for economic development in Iraq, which directly benefits the Iraqi people and their communities. We remain concerned about the protection of human rights, especially of women and religious minorities in Iraq.

Our support of our Dominican Family and the people in Iraq is sure and certain in the midst of an uncertain time. More than ever, our prayers are for peace. We pray for all those involved in the conflict, our Dominican brothers and sisters, the people of Iraq, the US occupying forces, Iraqi and international troops, humanitarian workers, and political leaders of the US and Iraq.

Adopted February 2003; updated from the Statement from the North American Dominican
Coordinating Committee on Iraq - adapted and endorsed March 2007

What We Do

   We have participated in many protest rallies and marches against the war in Iraq and violence in the whole of the Middle East.

    Sr. Marion Irvine participated in a 30 day Dominican Fast for Peace in the Peace Park in New York City and adjacent to the United Nations Headquarters in 2002.  Since that time, we have continued to participate in the invitations from DLC (2004) and LCWR (2005) for congregational rotating days of prayer and fasting.

     In 2007, Srs Bernadette Wombacher and Marion Irvine visited Washington, DC and, along with other Dominican women’s congregations and NGOs, petitioned the House of Representatives to implement their commitment to relocating in the U.S. a higher quota of Iraqi refugees, fleeing the violence in their home country.

     We collaborated with other Dominicans on the West Coast (Mission San Jose, Tacoma, and the Western Province) in putting on a day-long workshop in October of 2008 in Berkeley on Iraqi refugees and their plight in Iraq and in their new host countries.

     As an extension of our anti-war stand, (no longer such a thing as a just war due to the extreme  imbalance of military power in our world) we contribute to anti-war groups working against the use of land mines and cluster bombs, both of which kill many innocent people in war torn countries.

     For two years we ran an on-screen advertisement in Marin movie theaters proclaiming peace for two weeks in September to coincide with the International Day of Peace and two weeks in March to coincide with the beginning of the war.

     We support many organizations that are working for peace, especially in the Middle East at this time (i.e. Christian Peacemakers Team, Non-Violent Peace Force, and Education for Peace in Iraq Center).