{"id":3316,"date":"2013-05-22T23:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-22T23:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/us-bishops-ask-government-to-reassess-drone-policy\/"},"modified":"2013-05-22T23:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-05-22T23:03:00","slug":"us-bishops-ask-government-to-reassess-drone-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/05\/us-bishops-ask-government-to-reassess-drone-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"US bishops ask government to reassess drone policy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., May 22, 2013 \/ 05:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In letters to top government officials, the U.S. bishops' conference urged a public discussion on the use of unmanned targeted killings, also known as drones, and their moral implications.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cTargeted killing should, by definition, be highly discriminatory,\u201d wrote Bishop Bishop Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, in the May 17 letter.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Administration\u2019s policy appears to extend the use of deadly force to alleged 'signature' attacks and reportedly classifies all males of a certain age as combatants,\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAre these policies morally defensible? They seem to violate the law of war, international human rights law, and moral norms,\u201d the bishop said.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Pates is the chair of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops\u2019 Committee on International Justice and Peace.<\/p>\n

\tThe letters were sent to National Security Adviser Thomas Donilon and to leaders of the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Homeland Security and Government Affairs, Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform and the Select and Permanent Select Committees on Intelligence in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishop requested that these organizations reassess the use of drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, in carrying out targeted killings.<\/p>\n

\tThe policy has come under public scrutiny for its use in civilian areas against non-military targets, low cost to the United States, and thus risk for overuse, increased risk of civilian casualties, and for whether or not it is a proportional response to a risk of terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Pates noted that the United States and other countries have a right to defend themselves, but stated that the success of \u201ca counter-terrorism campaign cannot be simply measured in terms of \u201ccombatants killed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe urged the organizations to consider the \u201cserious moral questions\u201d raised by drone use and requested that the administration open a \u201cbroader discussion\u201d with the public about the morality and consequences of the drone policy.<\/p>\n

\tThe bishop also warned that unjust policies and high civilian casualties related to drone use \u201care likely to exacerbate anti-American sentiment, encourage recruitment by extremists, and undermine the international collaboration necessary to combat terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tInstead, the United states \u201cshould employ non-military assets to build peace through respect for human rights and addressing underlying injustices that terrorists unscrupulously exploit,\u201d and help to advance \u201cinternational norms, standards and restrictions\u201d for the use of drones.<\/p>\n

\tBishop Pates challenged the government officials to create \u201ca more comprehensive, moral and effective policy to resist terrorism,\u201d and hoped that expressing the bishops\u2019 concerns \u201cwill contribute to the formulation of a more comprehensive, moral and effective policy to resist terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., May 22, 2013 \/ 05:03 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- In letters to top government officials, the U.S. bishops' conference urged a public discussion on the use of unmanned targeted killings, also known as drones, and their moral implications.
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