"War is not always inevitable. It is always a defeat for humanity," Pope John Paul II said in his annual address January 13 to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican. He asked, "What are we to say of the threat of war which could strike the people of Iraq, the land of the prophets, a people already sorely tried by more than 12 years of embargo?" The pope responded: "War is never just another means that one can choose to employ for settling differences between nations. As the Charter of the United Nations and international law itself remind us, war cannot be decided upon, even when it is a matter of ensuring the common good, except as the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions, not ignoring the consequences for the civilian population both during and after the military operations."

Visit the Iraq page, Stepping Toward Peace with Iraq, on the Catholic Relief Services website at www.catholicrelief.org and you will find resources that can be downloaded and freely distributed for use in parishes, prayer groups, families, and schools. The materials include an information sheet, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops statement on Iraq, a discussion guide for adults, and a Marian prayer service.

Most Americans greatly underestimate the extent of poverty in their country, according to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. In a recent report it said most Americans believe that between 1 million and 5 million people live in poverty in the United States, while the actual number is nearly 33 million according to the national "Poverty Pulse" survey commissioned annually by CCHD to determine public views on poverty. CCHD noted that the federal government’s official poverty threshold for a family of four is $18,100, although about half the respondents to the survey believed a family making less than about $35,000 annually would be poor...

... A decline in the percentage of people donating money to organizations that help the poor was shown by the new "Poverty Pulse" survey. This decrease from 41 percent in 2001 to 32 percent in 2002, may possibly be attributed to concerns about the economy, CCHD said. The survey also showed that the percentage of low-income Americans has increased to more than 11 percent; the increase represents an additional 1.3 million people.

2003 World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in the United States on February 2. The theme of the event, which was chosen by the U.S. Bishops Committee on Consecrated Life and the Commission on Religious Life and Ministry, is "For I have seen the face of Christ." Dioceses and parishes across the country are planning events to mark this occasion.