THE Church of England is on a collision course with the Government over Iraq by producing a report for bishops which argues that an attack on Saddam Hussein would be immoral and seen as the "cruel thirst for vengeance".The report, by the Church's Board for Social Responsibility, says that it would be difficult to see how Western military action in Iraq could meet the criteria of being a just war.
Instead, in an implicit criticism of the hardening stance being taken by Tony Blair, the briefing paper says that calls for such action merely "reflect the priorities of American foreign policy".
It adds that the Church would also have "grave concerns" about inter-faith relations in Britain in the wake of an attack on another Muslim country such as Iraq.
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