Letter to U.S. leaders from Rochester MeetingOur prayers go out for you and all those who carry the responsibility of guiding our nation during this time of deep sorrow. We commend the President and Congress for the restraint exercised in responding to acts of terrorism. We believe the President's securing the support and cooperation of other countries is essential for the elimination of worldwide terrorism.We appreciate our national leaders' emphasis on maintaining tolerance instead of further inflaming ethnic and religious hatred. When evidence clearly identifies those responsible for the terrorist attacks of September 11, we urge that the evidence and the persons charged be brought to justice under law and due process, including international law, for judgment of guilt and determination of punishment. We do not want to allow our sorrow, anger and hurt to cause us to confuse vengeance and retaliation with justice. Doing so would make us as morally reprehensible as the terrorists. We ask that our country's efforts to apprehend the terrorists be conducted in a spirit of respect and compassion for innocent civilians whose lands have already been ravaged by war. We know that they are people whose homes and governments have been destroyed and now live in poverty, hunger, and despair. We ask that justice be sought in a spirit of civility and cooperation with other countries in such a way that it engenders good will from people of all religious traditions. The horror of this event calls us to remember our humanitarian values and consider how deeply our nation's past actions may have contributed to the conditions that have turned people bitterly against us. We must ask ourselves if we have responded in a humane way to the economic, health and political needs of people throughout the world. The only successful "war" against terrorism will be a "war" that attacks the circumstances that spawn and maintain it. Our long-term success will only be found in a policy that creates a multinational effort to eliminate the causes of terrorism, an effort that will continue long beyond our present crisis. We know that even if we remove every source of hatred, we will not prevent all future acts of violence. There are those who will hate, even if every source of injustice is eliminated. But it the world can show it will carry on, creating stronger, most just, more benevolent international community that that crosses all lines of religion, race and nationality, then terrorism will have failed. In Peace,
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