St. Francis is remembered mostly for wearing a simple robe and preaching to birds. What is often lost to history is his pleas, both to leaders in the West and Muslim leaders, to end the Crusades.
What has happened in Syria is inexcusable. While all war is reprehensible, the use of Sarin gas is particularly disturbing. Not only is it a miserable way to die, it is generally considered ineffective against military targets. It is a tool for killing civilians.
It seems inevitable that Obama will attack Syria. It could even be argued that this is his Biblical responsibility. Immediately pacifist voices cry out “violence won’t solve anything!” I wonder if Francis would cry out “Pacifism won’t solve anything!”
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