THE EDITORS' GLOSS: Fr. Jean-Marie Benjamin has long been an activist on behalf of the beleaguered Iraqi people. His website (www.benjaminforiraq.org) chronicles some of his work. His work on behalf of Iraq also extended to interaction with a number of Iraqi government officials. Oddly enough, this gives pause to some, but is it any different than the activities of thousands of good-willed “public servants” in Britain and America who also “interact” – in exchange for a salary - with governments whose conduct is less than pristine?
Fr. Benjamin was praised by Angelo Cardinal Sodano, Secretary of State to the Vatican, for his work in assisting Tariq Aziz – a long-time friend - with his legal defense following the American invasion. Benjamin approached his bishops and superiors for permission (which they freely granted) to do so, and Sodano wrote him a warm letter thanking him for “building links with Iraqis and the wider Arab world.” If only the goodwill extended by Benjamin and the Vatican towards the “wider Arab world” was mirrored by a like concern of British and American politicians for the fate of Arab Christians. Alas, the effects of their vile polices on members of our holy religion take a back seat to far less noble concerns, ideology, power, and money being foremost among them.
The Washington Times, surprisingly, chronicled the plight of Iraqi Christians in a March 29, 2005, article by Arnold Beichman. They have, he wrote,
historically played an important role in the country. Tariq Aziz, 69, now in coalition custody, and once a familiar face on Western TV, is a Chaldean Catholic. During Saddam's dictatorship, he was Iraqi foreign minister and later deputy prime minister and at one time was even targeted in an assassination attempt by Iranian Islamic terrorists.
Quoting Nimrod Raphaeli, a senior analyst with the Middle East Media Research Institute, Beichman said that under Saddam “Iraqi Christians 'enjoyed considerable religious freedom,'” though Beichman believed that such freedom under Hussein was a “paradox.” This fact alone sheds a disturbing light on the transformation of Iraqi society currently being wrought at the behest of Anglo-American politicians and occupying forces. In previous decades, Beichman noted, “successors to the dictator Abdul Karim Qassem, assassinated in 1963, employed Christian women They were practicing Chaldean Catholics under the guidance of a Belgian priest who conducted his office without let or hindrance.” Perhaps if Fr. Benjamin had had the same freedom for his prewar diplomatic mission, things today might be very different.
CHAPTER
36
A Priest Looks at the Former Regime
………
An Interview with Fr. Jean-Marie Benjamin
FATHER BENJAMIN, TELL us something, if you would, of how you first became interested in the subject of Iraq, and how your interest in it developed over the years.
FB: I embarked upon a career as a composer and conductor in Paris in 1965. I am the author of about one hundred classical music and film soundtrack compositions, as well as having recorded some 30 albums. I wrote the official anthem of UNICEF which was played at a concert in Rome by the Orchestra and Choirs of the Italian state television channel, RAI. I accepted, thereafter, a post with the United Nations as the Special Events Officer for UNICEF, and was responsible for organizing television programs, and artistic events amongst others around the world. I terminated my artistic and United Nations work in 1988 to become a Catholic priest. I was ordained in Rome on October 26, 1991, at the age of 45. About two months before my ordination, Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, then the Secretary of State for the Vatican, invited me to assist him on his trips and missions abroad. Naturally, I thought that the experience would be both edifying and of great interest. So I accepted the offer and began to undertake a series of trips – which were about roughly fortnightly and spanned the globe – with the Cardinal up until January 1995. During one of the last of these trips – we went to Mexico and to New York – the Cardinal informed me of Pope John Paul II's intentions to go to the biblical sites of the Redemption on the occasion of the Jubilee in 2000A.D., a trip that would take him to the holy places ranging from the time of Abraham to the time of St. Paul. When I returned home, I contacted friends – two cameramen and a producer – and suggested to them the idea of going to Iraq to make a documentary film about Mesopotamia, the history of modern Iraq and the situation of the population in light of the economic embargo. It was thus that we produced the first documentary film, Iraq: The Birth of Time, and which led us to travel the country, from North to South, during a five-week period.
In the process I discovered a population of great gentility and refinement, a truly wonderful people. The welcome that we received everywhere was remarkable for us, Europeans, white from head to foot, and who “represented” in a certain way the West and the Embargo.
To travel across Iraq and to understand her people is to relive more than eight thousand years of history represented by more than ten thousand archaeological sites, and which are witnesses to our past, a fundamental patrimony for understanding the history of the human species. It is, too, to reflect upon the sixty centuries, which separates us from the Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian civilizations. It is to relive the Bible and the accounts of Genesis, to walk in the footsteps of Abraham. It is to return to the first moments of Creation, to the first laboratory of the blossoming of future civilizations. It is to bring to mind that the great discoveries and the first inventions, which form the pedestal of our civilization – the culture of our planet, were born and grew up in Mesopotamia. It is in Iraq that the first civilization arose, the cradle of our culture and of our development.
We have heard American and European political leaders justify military intervention in Iraq by claiming that the military occupation of the country was intended to bring the values of “the civilized world” to Iraqis. Perhaps they don't know that Abraham was not born in Hollywood but in Iraq!
Before the last Anglo-American war of aggression in March and April 2003 and their unilateral occupation of the country, to travel in Iraq was also to enter into the mysterious world of Islam and to marvel in seeing side by side in any Baghdad street a church and a mosque. It meant being astonished to see students not wearing the burka, the chador, or the veil. Today bombs are exploding in churches, Shiite women are ordered to wear the veil, and every day there are bomb attacks against Christian-owned shops which sell wines and spirits. A strange way to “bring democracy” to a the country!
LID: As a Catholic priest how did you view things as the Anglo-American establishments began their political and media preparations for what became the Second Gulf War? Did you think that they had justice – of any kind or degree – on their side?
FB: To bomb, to invade and to occupy a country – a founding member of the United Nations, Iraq having joined on September 26, 1946 – on the basis of lies pushed day after day, for months on end, by the world's media about weapons of mass destruction which did not exist – please! Why wonder about an American administration which does not hesitate to create false documents conveyor belt-like in order to deceive UN inspectors, viz., the matter of uranium from Niger which Saddam Hussein was supposed to have bought and which was exposed as a crude hoax, or the false satellite photographs, or even the famous lorries in which the Baghdad government was supposedly manufacturing biological weapons, but which turned out to be for producing powered milk! Why wonder about an American administration which forced the UN Security Council to vote Resolution 1441 which sought to disarm Iraq of her few remaining conventional weapons on the basis of incredible lies in order to bomb and invade the country more effectively after it had been disarmed? The cowardice of a “superpower” which massacres through bombing a population already broken by 13 years of embargo, and invades a country whose army was totally defenseless because of the resolution of the U.N., is unique in the history of war. There is no reason to be surprised that the “Lords of War, Lies, and Torture” in Washington and London could only find the likes of Ahmad Chalabi and Iyad Allawi to put in power in Baghdad as their allies, these lat
ter also being Masters of Lies who did not shrink from having their own people bombarded.
What is happening in reality in Iraq? There were no weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein was arrested nearly two years ago, and yet every day F-15 fighters and Apache helicopters are bombing the indigenous population and piling up hundreds of victims in Fallujah, Samarra, Baquba, Najaf and other cities. Why? George W. Bush claims that it is a matter of a war against terrorism. If that is so, the men in Washington have not only deceived themselves, but they have placed Iraq in the hands of Islamic and terrorist organizations which, prior to the American invasion, had been rightly suppressed by the Rais of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein. The American Commission of Inquiry into the events of September 11, 2001, the Report of the American Senate, and the majority of the security services and diplomatic chancelleries around the world confirm: Iraq had no connection whatsoever with al-Qaeda nor had it any involvement in the attacks upon the USA on September 11. Osama bin Laden pointed the finger against Saddam Hussein and screamed: “Baghdad, this republic of scoundrels and infidels!” This took place at the time that Donald Rumsfeld visited Saddam in Baghdad to sell him arms and “pharmaceutical” products in 1983. Anyone can see and download the video of this historic meeting from the National Security Archive.1 But, today, the country is seemingly in the hands of Islamic extremists. To this tragic situation one must add the organized criminal gangs, mafias of all kinds, and a resistance which is organized throughout the entire country, from Mosul to Basra, thanks to strategic alliances between Sunnis and Shiites, and between tribes and Kurds in the North.
Thus the administration in Washington justified the bombing of an innocent and civilized people and the occupation of a country by diffusing lies on a daily basis throughout the media so as to deceive public opinion. Today, during the present military occupation of Iraq – an occupation which remains illegal and contrary to international law – Washington and London continue to lie to the public about what is really happening in Iraq. But the most serious thing is that all of these lies and all of these deceptions are carried out in the name of peace, in the name of God, which is actually the greatest offence against God that one could commit since it is a matter of a sin against the Holy Spirit, the one unpardonable sin.
LID: We understand that you organized the visit of Tariq Aziz to meet the Holy Father in Rome just before the Anglo-American invasion. Can you tell us how the visit came about, how it was organized (especially given the blatantly anti-Catholic attitude of President Bush, and his attempts to eliminate anything that would have obstructed his war), and what you saw as the aim of the visit?
FB: On January 13, 2003, the crisis between America and Iraq was at its height. The situation was completely stalemated, and dialogue between Baghdad and Washington was non-existent. The U.N inspectors were working on the disarmament of Iraq, but each day brought new threats from George W. Bush. The War Party seemed to be gaining ground ineluc-tably. I decided, therefore, to try and create an opening by sending a fax to Mgr. Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations between states, asking him to see if the Holy Father would agree to see in private audience Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy prime minister.
Two days later I received the reply at my home in Assisi. The Vatican Secretariat of State informed me by fax that the request for an audience could be forwarded by the ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Holy See. Translated this meant the response was positive. I telephoned Tariq Aziz immediately.
Benjamin: I have something important to convey to you.
Aziz: Are you coming to Baghdad?
Benjamin: I am taking the first plane to Amman.
The following Thursday I arrived in Baghdad in the evening. The next day I met the Deputy Prime Minister. I outlined my idea of an audience with the Pope. Rather surprised, Tariq Aziz asked me if I was sure that the Holy Father would be able to receive him. I told him that I had received a positive reply in writing. Tariq Aziz looked at me thoughtfully and in silence, his moustache not moving so much as a hair. He then thanked me for my help and told me that he would speak about it to Saddam. We then touched upon the practical details of a visit to Rome and I handed the Minister an official invitation from the Beato Angelico Foundation, of which I am the secretary-general, to come to Rome. I added: “After your audience with the Pope, I would like to suggest that you come to Assisi, as a Catholic, to pray for peace at the tomb of St. Francis and to announce a call for peace along with the Franciscan friars.” Tariq Aziz replied: “Obviously I would be highly delighted to meet the Holy Father. I was received by him in the past on two occasions. As far as Assisi is concerned, if you think that it would be an important step in promoting peace, I agree. I invite you to co-ordinate the itinerary of the visit with our embassy in Rome.”
Upon my return to the Italian capital, I got in touch with the Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See, who had been put in the picture by Baghdad in the meantime. Events moved quickly. The Vatican stated that the audience would take place on February 14, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. Tariq Aziz would then meet Cardinal Angelo Sodano, secretary of state, and Mgr. Jean-Louis Tauran. The doors opened, not only at the Vatican, but also in Assisi where the three Franciscan communities agreed to my proposal to meet the Iraqi deputy prime minister. On February 13, Tariq Aziz arrived in Rome. We know the rest.
In my eyes – and not only mine – this visit was important. Obviously, it did not stop the bellicose intentions of the Washington administration, nor did it stop the American war machine in spite of repeated appeals from the Pope against this unjust war. But it did allow a new door for dialogue to be opened, to give greater force and momentum to the anti-war movements around the world, and to remind the world that in Iraq Christians and Muslims lived in perfect harmony. During this visit to Rome, Tariq Aziz was also able to meet Italian political leaders, journalists, and important figures from the church and the cultural world. All of them put questions to him, often difficult ones – but he was capable of answering them clearly and without evasion.
What also motivated me to undertake this difficult task of inviting Tariq Aziz to meet the Pope was that it was conducive to reminding the world that there lived in Iraq a Christian community which lives in perfect tran-quility with the Muslims in spite of the embargo and the bombing, and that Iraq was one of the most conscientious countries in fighting Islamic extremism.
The Assisi visit was also important. For the first time the discussion passed from the political to the spiritual plane. Tariq Aziz was very moved. In the Golden Book of the Franciscan monastery he wrote: “Iraqis do not want war. They want peace. The world wants peace.”
On Saturday, February 15, on my return from Assisi to Rome, I took the opportunity in a quiet moment of putting several questions to Tariq Aziz at the Iraqi embassy:
Benjamin: Are you expecting an American attack? Opposition at the United Nations and public opinion around the world is very strong.
Aziz: They will attack, with or without the United Nations.
Benjamin: Do you really think that they can do so without the agreement of the United Nations?
Aziz: Yes, they can. They are the most powerful. They have enforced the embargo for 13 years; they have bombed Iraq regularly; they have imposed “no fly zones” without United Nations agreement. They have enforced their will because they are the strongest. They want to invade Iraq for our oil and in order to control the region.
Benjamin: How are you going to defend yourselves?
Aziz: Their bombardments are going to destroy everything. But we will not fall once again into the trap of 1991. They are going to invade the country and they are going to discover a people which knows how to defend itself. With their military hardware and their technology, it won't be too difficult to occupy the country, but once they are inside a resistance will organize itself throughout Iraqi territory. There is also a risk that some extremist Muslim organizations will enter the country. The Americans are going to come up against tremendous problems.
Benjamin: Can I ask you if Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction?
Aziz: I repeated several times to the Pope that we no longer have weapons of mass destruction, either chemical or biological. They were all destroyed between 1991 and 1993. The chief of UNSCOM, Richard Butler, in December 1998, presented a false and twisted report to the Security Council of the United Nations, and thanks to the lies of Richard Butler, the Americans began to bomb our country once again, destroying our power stations, bridges, and water purification installations once again, when we had already had so much difficulty in rebuilding them after the Gulf War. In 1993 we had nothing left. Now they wish to disarm us – with the agreement of the United Nations – of the few arms left to us so as to attack and invade our country, probably without UN agreement.
In the light of events and what continues to be reported daily about the tragic situation in Iraq, along with the total failure of the American occupation and “democratization” of the country, the words of Tariq Aziz uttered a full month before the American-imposed war on Iraq ring out like a prophecy.
LID: In his discussions with the Holy Father, both on and off screen, can you tell us what Mr. Aziz proposed on behalf of his country's government as a solution to the crisis?
Neo-Conned! Again Page 90
