Bishop expresses war doubts

Bishop expresses war doubts

The bishop made the comment in his Easter message

The war against Iraq will have been a mistake if no evidence is found of weapons of mass destruction, a bishop has said.

The Right Reverend Richard Lewis, Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, made the comment in his Easter message.

However, he stressed the search for chemical or biological weapons had only just begun.

And he said it was important to support British forces.

Iraqi suffering

"The only possible justification for the conflict in Iraq was the threat to world peace posed by weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"If there is no evidence that Iraq posed this threat then the fact has to be faced that there was no basis for this conflict and I would have to say that a mistake has been made.

"That has got huge consequences for the way countries behave in the future.

"Unless world leaders learn from this, all the suffering of the Iraqi people may have been in vain."

He said his thoughts and prayers had always been with the armed forces in the Gulf, and with their families back home.

"In any reflection in the aftermath of the hostilities it is important that their courage and skill is recognised," he said.