Christian Anti-War Activist Protest Biden Sending Cluster Bomb: A Christian anti-war activist protested President Joe Biden’s decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine and prayed for a peaceful conclusion to the situation outside the White House.
Rev. Patrick Mahoney led a “Say No To Cluster Bombs/White House Peace & Prayer Vigil” outside the White House, protesting Ukraine’s conflict and Biden’s announcement of cluster munitions.
Mahoney, a longtime pro-life and anti-war activist, contends that supplying Ukraine with cluster munitions is a “dangerous escalation in the Ukraine-Russian war that will put innocent families and their children at risk.”
“First of all, as Christians, we believe that the greatest transformative agent we have for change is prayer,” the activist told The Christian Post in a Friday interview. “I often say we don’t have to be the victims of history, but through prayer, we can see God shift, shape and transform history.”
According to Mahoney, approximately eight people attended the event, including members of his organization. Along with Mahoney’s group, Catholic peace workers and an Ethiopian NGO joined the protest.
The Christian activist added that demonstrators prayed against the shipment of cluster munitions and for the Biden administration to present a peace solution.
“And we also stood as a prophetic witness for peace, for human rights, and for justice,” Mahoney said.
Last month, Biden accepted Defense Department’s proposal to temporarily equip Ukraine with cluster munitions until US develops more 155mm howitzer artillery ammunition, as Ukraine demands more.
The US and Ukraine are not signatories of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits munitions from over 100 countries. Biden supplies cluster munitions amid ongoing war without a peace agreement.
“They’re trying to get through those trenches and stop those tanks from rolling. But it was not an easy decision,” Biden told Zakaria. “We’re not signatories to that agreement, but it took me a while to be convinced to do it.”
“But the main thing is they either have the weapons to stop the Russians now — keep them from stopping the Ukrainian offensive through these areas — or they don’t,” he continued. “And I think they needed them.”
In June, a coalition of U.S. organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International USA, sent a letter to Biden expressing concerns about the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine. The letter urged Biden to reject calls from Congress and Ukrainian leaders to transfer the weapons, citing the potential harm to civilians and the international prohibition on cluster munitions.