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North Korea Go To: Statement from Religious Leaders News Stories Learn More New: Statement from Religious Leaders on North Korea Download the July 17, 2007 Statement (PDF) Go to our Press Release The denuclearization agreement reached with North Korea is an important step toward halting the production of nuclear bomb material in that nation. This agreement will help to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons in the region and enhance international security. We congratulate the Bush administration for its work in this negotiation. The agreement requires specific actions in order to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We urge representatives of our government, including members of Congress, to give full support to the agreement so that the United States fulfills its part of the bargain. We urge continued diplomatic pressure on the North Korean government so that it completely dismantles all of its nuclear weapons-related facilities. The agreement with North Korea demonstrates the value of diplomacy in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. It validates the preferential use of words, rather than war, as a response to conflict. Our religious traditions teach that efforts should be made to explore every alternative in resolving a conflict before going to war. We urge the administration to pursue a similar strategy in the nuclear standoff with Iran. The United States should engage Iran in direct negotiations without preconditions to achieve the goal of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and enhancing regional security. This strategy has been effective in one geopolitical locale, and we urge its implementation in Iran. *Organizations listed for identification purposes only. The Rev. Dr. Stan Hastey Executive Director, Alliance of Baptists Bishop Janice Riggle Huie President, The Council of Bishops, The United Methodist Church The Rev. Joel C. Hunter Senior Pastor, Northland - A Church Distributed, Longwood, Florida The Rev. Dr. Clifton Kirkpatrick Stated Clerk, The Presbyterian Church (USA) The Rev. John L. McCullough Executive Director, Church World Service Rabbi Gerald Serotta Temple Shalom, Chevy Chase, Maryland Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori Presiding Bishop, The Episcopal Church The Rev. Dr. Ronald J. Sider President, Evangelicals for Social Action Dr. Glen Stassen Professor of Christian Ethics, Fuller Theological Seminary Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed National Director, Islamic Society of North America The Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins General Minister and President, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Most Rev. Thomas G. Wenski Chairman, Committee on International Policy, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops *** News on the Statement from Religious Leaders "Interfaith Leaders Commend North Korean Nuclear Pact" by Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service, 7/19/07. "McCullough of Church World Service sees 'glimmer of light' in N. Korean nuclear plant shutdown" Church World Service, 7/19/07. "Presiding Bishop joins religious leaders praising Bush administration for North Korea agreement" Episcopal Life Online, 7/17/07. News Stories on Denuclearization of North Korea "North Korean Nuclear Talks Fail to Set Disarmament Timetable, but Yield Agreement on Goals" by Howard W. French, The New York Times, 7/20/07. "Korea Nuclear Talks Resume: After Shutdown of Main Reactor, More Hard Tasks Ahead" by Edward Cody, Washington Post, 7/18/07. "U.N. Inspectors Confirm Shutdown of North Korean Reactor" by Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times, 7/17/07. "Secretary General welcomes shutdown of DPR Korea nuclear reactor" UN News Service, 7/16/07. "North Korean Reactor Is Shut, U.N. Confirms" by Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times, 7/16/07. "IAEA Says North Korea Has Shut Reactor" by Kwang-Tae Kim, The Associated Press, 7/16/07. "IAEA says North Korea reactor shut, Seoul sends aid" by Jon Herskovitz, Reuters, 7/16/07. Editorials "Five Years Later in North Korea," The New York Times, 7/17/07. "A Reactor Shut Down," The Washington Post, 7/17/07. "The bomb factory stop," The Chicago Tribune, 7/17/07. Learn More International Atomic Energy Agency's "In Focus" page on North Korea - includes a photo gallery Friends Committee on National Legislation's Issue page on North Korea "Timeline: North Korea Nuclear Stand-off" on the BBC News website Resources on North Korean Nuclear Test Statements from Religious Groups and Denominations on the North Korean Nuclear Test: United Methodist Church: “Mission Leader Calls North Korean Test “Deplorable” And Calls for International Nuclear Disarmament” National Council of Churches: “NCC condemns North Korea nuclear test, urges diplomacy” Pax Christi: “Pax Christi USA Condemns North Korean Nuclear Test, Calls upon Bush Administration to Enter into Direct Negotiations” World Council of Churches: “WCC asks for peaceful, lawful and collective response to North Korean nuclear test” Worship Materials on the North Korean Nuclear Test: UMC General Board of Discipleship: “A Call to Prayer with the President of the United States and Leaders of the World” Analysis of the North Korean Nuclear Test: Friends Committee for National Legislation (Quakers):“North Korean Nuclear Test is Predictable Result of Failed U.S. Diplomatic Strategy” Sojourners, “God’s Politics” Blog: “The North Korean Bomb is a Bush Administration Failure”

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