The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago representing leaders of the Chicago area ecumenical and interfaith communities, affirmed the vision and aims of the R2P Coalition, through a resolution passed at its recent meeting.

Following a presentation by Richard Cooper, convener of the R2P Coalition, a nonpartisan and not-for-profit grassroots organization whose mission is to convince the American people and its leaders to embrace the norm of the responsibility to protect as a domestic and foreign policy priority, the Council adopted the following:

“The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago expresses its gratitude and deep appreciation for the presentation of Mr. Cooper concerning the ‘Responsibility to protect’ compact.

“The Council affirms the vision and aims of this important initiative and is committed to a vigorous engagement with its implications for the Council and its respective constituencies.”

The responsibility to protect grows out of the United Nations General Assembly 2005 World Summit Outcome Document in which the international community and each of its member states united in a new commitment and global effort to protect populations around the globe from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity. The promotion of this vision, spearheaded locally and nationally by Mr. Cooper, has already received the support of a number of leaders in both the public and private sectors.

Rev. Paul H. Rutgers, Executive Director of the Council and a member of the R2P Coalition Steering Committee, said: “All those involved up to this point have stressed how critical it is to the success of this vision to have the awareness and support of the religious community. The responsibility to protect is first and foremost a moral issue. I am glad that we, the leaders of the Chicago area religious constituencies, have taken ownership of this cause and committed ourselves to take part in this leadership effort. “

The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago is composed of the chief leaders of the Greater Chicago area’s Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Eastern and Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Islamic communions and institutions. The Council reflects a wide variety of views including conservative, liberal and moderate. The Council has taken significant actions in recent years, including support for the suspension of the death penalty; a nationally circulated letter to President George W Bush regarding the war in Iraq; and letters to Illinois Senators calling for a ban on torture and full compliance with the Geneva Conventions.

For more information on the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, please contact Rev. Paul H. Rutgers, Executive Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or by phone at 312 431-3236.

More information on the R2P Coalition, its goals and its members can be found at: www.R2Pcoalition.org