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03/15/07
National Clergy Council President
Rev. Rob Schenck (Center) speaks to members of the media with Rabbi Yehuda Levin
of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis (Left) and Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense
Coalition (Right) in front of the White House.
Jewish and Christian Leaders Deliver Letters Of Support For Pace To Bush
WASHINGTON, Mar. 15 /Christian Newswire/ -- Representatives of the National
Clergy Council, the Rabbinical Alliance of America, the Union of Orthodox Rabbis
and the Christian Defense Coalition held a news conference in front of the White
House on March 15 to urge President Bush to retain and support Joint Chiefs of
Staff chairman Gen. Peter Pace.
Gen. Pace expressed his personal view that homosexual acts and adultery were
"immoral' during a newspaper interview on March 12 when asked about the U.
S. military's policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" that allows gays to
serve in the armed forces under the condition that their orientation remain private.
Many homosexual activist groups have called on Pace to apologize and a few are
seeking his resignation or removal.
Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council and chairman, Committee
on Church and Society for the Evangelical Church Alliance announced that 150,000
letters of support for Pace from citizens across the country would be delivered
to the White House along with 6,000 letters from church leaders and activists.
Rev. Schenck denounced criticism of Pace by Defense Secretary Robert Gates
and Virginia Senator John Warner. He said, "General Pace is correct in all
he said about homosexual acts and should be applauded not pilloried. We have urged
President Bush to fully support him and look forward to his doing so." Schenck
cited the Uniform Code of Military Justice that states "persons who demonstrate
a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts would create an unacceptable
risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion
that are the essence of military capability."
Rabbi Yehuda Levin of the Rabbinical Alliance of America and the Union of Orthodox
Jewish Rabbis stated, "This is a moral issue and President Bush needs to
step up and say so. This isn't a religious matter; it is moral and requires moral
straight talk." Levin warned religious and political leaders of "the
judgment that will be visited upon you because of your silence."
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney Christian Defense Coalition stated, "This isn't
about discrimination, it's about right and wrong. Americans believe in moral order
in the military. General Pace needs support, not criticism." Mahoney pointed
out that the current ban on homosexuals serving openly in the military was established
14 years ago by a Democratic Congress and signed into law by a Democratic president.
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