Letter
Letter From Bishop Pates to Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, November 7, 2012
Letter From Bishop Richard E. Pates, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace to U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, November 7, 2012
It is our understanding that the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence has concluded its investigation into interrogation practices, including torture, used by the Central Intelligence Agency and is preparing its final report. This report has been several years in the making and represents an important effort to shed light on practices that have placed in jeopardy our nation’s reputation of defending human rights.
As Chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), I would note that the U.S. bishops have long registered their absolute opposition to torture. In Catholic teaching, torture is an intrinsic evil that cannot be justified under any circumstances. Torture violates the human dignity of each person. It is degrading to all involved, not only the victim. It also compromises the perpetrator and the society that tolerates its practice. It has a corrosive effect and diminishes our moral credibility in the world. Furthermore, a number of former CIA, FBI and military experts have stated that torture is not an effective technique for producing reliable information. Instead the use of torture is counterproductive. Its use undermines security cooperation with other nations that reject torture and can motivate terrorist recruits who then attack us.