Blair acted like a 'white vigilante' by invading Iraq, says bishop

The Guardian ^ | 30 December 2003 | Sarah Hall

[Hal1950]

Tony Blair came under attack from two of the Church of England's most senior figures yesterday for acting "like a white vigilante" and for lacking humility in forging ahead with the war on Iraq.

In the most outspoken outburst, the Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, accused religious conservatives surrounding the US president, George Bush, of espousing "a very strange distortion of Christianity" - particularly since, through Iraq's reconstruction, many would gain financially.

"For Bush and Blair to go into Iraq together was like a bunch of white vigilantes going into Brixton to stop drug dealing. This is not to deny there's a problem to be sorted, just that they are not credible people to deal with it," he said.

In a separate rebuke, the Archbishop of York, David Hope, questioned the legitimacy of the war and said Mr Blair would have to answer to God - a "higher authority" - for his decision to forge ahead with the conflict.

He called on people to pray for Mr Blair and called on him to show more humility rather than exercising power in an authoritarian way. Referring to Iraq, he said: "One of the qualities of a good leader is that they have to be really attentive to the views of the people. It seemed at one stage that that was not happening."

The conflict, and the events leading up to it, had raised questions of leadership and trust.

Referring to Iraq, he said: "We still have not found any weapons of mass destruction anywhere. Are we likely to find any? Does that alter the view as to whether we really ought to have mounted the invasion or not?

"Undoubtedly, a very wicked leader has been removed, but there are wicked leaders in other parts of the world."

Dr Hope went on to call on Britons to "spend more time praying for Tony Blair", who should exercise a "calm, quiet authority".

The coalition leaders would have to give an account to a "a higher authority," he added, in an echo of the warning by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, at the Iraq war remembrance service, that Mr Blair would be "called to account."

Downing Street last night refused to be drawn on the church leaders' attacks, made in the Independent and the Times respectively. But the rebukes are likely to rankle with the prime minister, a devout Christian, who recently declared he was ready "to meet my maker" and answer for his decisions on Iraq.

While Alastair Campbell, the prime minister's former director of communications, forbade Mr Blair from speaking about his faith, and Mr Blair has sidestepped questions about whether he has prayed with Mr Bush at war summits, faith forms a strong part of the prime minister's psyche.

He confessed in an interview conducted during the Iraq war that he had wanted to end a televised statement before British troops went into Iraq with the phrase "God bless you", but was dissuaded by officials.

The former foreign secretary Robin Cook yesterday said it was time for Mr Blair to drop his claims about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. "It really is time that the prime minister accepted that himself," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "It is undignified to continue to insist he was right when everyone can see he was wrong."

[Torie]

Hilarious. Simply splendid. The text should be faxed to Dean, and I hope he partakes of it.

[MEG33]

The theory seems to be if you can't do everything,you should do nothing.

[Mike Darancette]

Who will rid me of that meddlesome priest?

[glock rocks]

another hit and run in the punchbowl, eh Hal.

[Southack]

Oh good grief. Yet another gay, effeminate priest spouting the Marxist talking points of the day, no doubt.

[Havoc]

Methinks this Bishop needs to find God.

[Maynerd]

The Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright and the Arch Bishop of York,David Hope need to let go of their hate of Tony Blair, George W. Bush, and the US.

They should get back to the vital business of driving the Church of England into the ground. The Anglicans will go the way of the Jonestown crowd if they keep drinking thier anti-Western culture koolaid.

[MindBender26]

Dear Most Reverend Bushop,

Since you believe Mr. Blair sinned in going to war with Iraq, does the term "Crusade" ring a bell.

[MindBender26]

Was in Banbury, UK last year staying with friends. There are so few COE priests now, they get one every 6th Sunday!

[jocon307]

"He [Blair?] confessed in an interview conducted during the Iraq war that he had wanted to end a televised statement before British troops went into Iraq with the phrase "God bless you", but was dissuaded by officials."

WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?????? He should have ended it with God bless you and God save the Queen, and whoever didn't like it could go take a flying f**** at a rolling donut, as we used to say.

God bless us all, Everyone! Except those weasly Brit
Bishops and "officials", they can go to hades.

[texasflower]

I guess the Bishop has forgotten that he will have to face God as well. As most of us here feel, Tony Blair and George Bush are well within God's favor.

[montag813]

the Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, accused religious conservatives surrounding the US president, George Bush, of espousing "a very strange distortion of Christianity"

Yes, the kind of Christianity in which people are actually CHRISTIANS, unlike the Marxist Liberation Theology that this scumbag "Bishop" believes in. The British clergy is completely out of control.

[montag813]

Referring to Iraq, he said: "We still have not found any weapons of mass destruction anywhere. Are we likely to find any? Does that alter the view as to whether we really ought to have mounted the invasion or not?

I guess this p.o.s. "bishop" hasn't seen today's lengthy L.A. Times piece exposing Syria's sole in absorbing and hiding the WMDs.

[ThirstyMan]

Guys! Get the planks out of thine own eyes!
These liberal bishops can't seem to contain their disgust over the removal of a tyrant and the attempt to liberate a people from such cruelty. What is it that pleases them about the likes of Saddam Hussein?
Thank you Tony Blair for offering this world some needed moral guidance. Never mind the bishops who have their heads up their pompous butts. We live in a world gone strange!

[montag813]

"Undoubtedly, a very wicked leader has been removed, but there are wicked leaders in other parts of the world."

Let me guess who is one his list of "wicked leaders"...

1. Ariel Sharon
2. George W. Bush
3. Silvio Berlusconi (Italy)
4. Jose Maria Asnar (Spain)
5. Tony Blair

Meanwhile I'm sure Assad, Mubarak, Mugabe, et al are just peachy keen with this Marxist priest.

[Green Knight]

"a very strange distortion of Christianity"

Uh huh. Aren't these the same people who have above them a practicing druid as Archbishop of Canterbury?

"For Bush and Blair to go into Iraq together was like a bunch of white vigilantes going into Brixton to stop drug dealing. This is not to deny there's a problem to be sorted, just that they are not credible people to deal with it,"

I see. So you just can't have white people solving problems, then? What kind of sense does that make?

[PGalt]

Bull_Durham. Tom Wright is Wrong.

[cpprfld]

Where is this guys email? I am one of those religious conservatives, who supports this war and is supposedly "profiting" from this war. The last time that I checked I still haven't received any money from the government for this war.

[skr]

I'm not hearing any spiritual or even religious reasons, just political mumbo-jumbo from these people.