BY Ian Dunn | December 2 | 
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Archbishop Tartaglia advises caution over airstrikes against ISIS in Syria
Church views justice, peace and negotiation as the preferred means of ending conflict, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland says, but decision lies with Government
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow has said MPs voting on airstrikes against ISIS in Syria today should be guided by the ‘determination not to make a bad situation worse.’
The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland released the statement today as MPs debate whether they will back Prime Minister David Cameron’s plan to extend air strikes against the Islamic State from Iraq to Syria.
The archbishop said that ‘in times of crisis such as this, the voice of the Church should be heard to call above all for justice, peace and negotiation as the preferred means of ending conflict.’
“However, the decision to escalate military action against IS in Syria is rightly and lawfully the responsibility of parliament and government,” he went on. “The Church prays that the decision which is reached today will be guided by expert knowledge, prudence, proportionality, the will to peace, the protection of innocent civilians and the determination not to make a bad situation worse. May God have mercy on us.”
MPs are expected to take a final vote on the issue at 10pm tonight.
Pic: Paul McSherry
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