Global crises get convention's attention
Episcopal News Service. July 20, 2009 [072009-02]
Matthew Davies and Pat McCaughan
Support for troubled and besieged communities in Haiti, Honduras, Pakistan and Sudan, as well as a call for an end to the blockade in Cuba, were among international concerns addressed by General Convention at its July 8-17 meeting in Anaheim, California.
While convention-goers found unanimity on most action concerning global peace and justice issues, the bishops rejected a resolution on Israel/Palestine, with opponents calling for a more balanced approach.
The resolution (B027), which never made it to the House of Deputies because of the bishops' action, had called for dismantling the wall between Israel and Palestine, creating a sovereign Palestinian state and ending "the ongoing confiscation of Palestinian land, demolition of housing and the displacement of people." Previous General Convention or Executive Council resolutions have addressed all of these concerns. The bishops' action last week did not repudiate earlier resolutions.
In a statement following convention, the Rev. Canon Brian Grieves, senior director for mission centers, and Maureen Shea, director of the Office of Government Relations, said: "The Episcopal Church, based on resolutions passed at its previous General Conventions regarding the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, remains firmly committed to a just peace that ends the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, guarantees Israel's security and Palestinian aspirations for a viable sovereign state with Jerusalem as the shared capital of both Israel and Palestine."
They noted that previously adopted resolutions include "opposition to the settlements built on Palestinian land, the building of the 'separation barrier' or wall, and the demolition of homes. These resolutions also call for an end to violence and anti-Semitism."
New areas of emphasis in B027 had included a commendation of President Barack Obama for his engagement in Israeli-Palestinian peace from his first day in office, including his naming of Special Envoy George Mitchell; and a call for unfettered humanitarian aid and commercial-trade opportunity for residents of the Gaza strip affected by the Israeli blockade.
Bishop Edward Little of Northern Indiana called the proposed resolution "deeply troubling" and urged defeat.
Several bishops, however, urged passage. Among them, Bishop James Jelinek of Minnesota, a member of the National and International Concerns legislative committee, said the resolution was designed to "get Israel's attention."
"Walls are always troublesome," said Bishop Geralyn Wolf of Rhode Island, who opposed the measure. "However, I do believe the resolution is not as balanced as I'd like it to be."
The bishops did find common ground on a resolution (A037) urging every Episcopalian to "pray, especially in Advent and during the Christmas season, for the wall around Bethlehem and all other barriers to come down."
Reconciliation in Honduras
Convention found a more unified voice on other international issues, especially the situation in Honduras, where the recent military ousting of President Manuel Zelaya resulted in civil unrest.
In Resolution B031, convention called "for dialogue between those of differing views, with respect and tolerance for all, and the hope of bringing reconciliation to the people of Honduras."
The resolution also calls upon "the international lending organizations to continue investments, aid and loans to Honduras, in order to adequately care for the Honduran people" and asks that the U.S. Government "not take actions that will penalize the people of Honduras."
Costa Rican President Óscar Arias has been mediating talks and seeking to negotiate a solution to the crisis. The convention action calls on Arias to listen to all sides and work for a resolution "based on democratic inclusiveness that is beneficial to all Hondurans."
In an interview, Honduras Bishop Lloyd Allen expressed disappointment that convention omitted language from his draft resolution expressing "opposition [to] the actions of the Organization of American States in suspending Honduras."
The Diocese of Honduras is part of Province IX of the Episcopal Church and shares many companion relationships with U.S.-based dioceses and parishes. The convention resolution called upon all Episcopalians to pray for the people of Honduras and for those companion relationships to continue.
Support for Sudan
The convention addressed the fragile situation in Sudan with Resolution A033, urging "renewed international commitment to the successful political implementation" of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and "increased and better-coordinated economic-development and investment efforts … in southern Sudan."
Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan wrote to Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and all the bishops, priests, deacons and laity of the U.S.-based Episcopal Church on June 30 underscoring the importance of partnership between the two churches and offering an update about the urgent situation in Sudan.
The Episcopal Church has long-standing partnerships with the Sudanese church through companion-diocese relationships, Episcopal Relief and Development programs and the advocacy work of the Office of Government Relations.
In his letter, Deng urged the Episcopal Church "to retain the peace of the Sudan as a top priority, working to prevent further genocide and assisting in the humanitarian effort to bring better living conditions to believers."
Sudan, Africa's largest country by area, has been devastated by two back-to-back civil wars spanning some 40 years. Although war officially ended with the January 2005 signing of a Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the northern Government of Sudan and the southern people, a conflict lingers in the Darfur region of western Sudan that is reported to have claimed more than 300,000 lives.
Despite initial hopes for the success of the peace agreement, southern Sudanese leaders have been frustrated by the northern government's refusal to live into the major terms of the agreement, including sharing oil revenues and drawing fair borders.
Sudan is scheduled to hold its first democratic elections in 24 years in February 2010, and a 2011 referendum will give southerners the opportunity to determine whether to secede from the north or remain a unified country.
Jefferts Schori told the Episcopal News Service on July 7, "We will pray for the people of Sudan, and we will do what we can to give evidence of the faith that is within us, knowing that God expects peace for all our brothers and sisters, not war and privation."
One major problem facing post-war Sudan is the return of thousands of refugees, including two million internally displaced people.
In urging "continued advocacy and prayer from all Episcopalians for peace with justice in the Sudan," General Convention specifically called for "internationally coordinated efforts to care for and resettle the several million refugees and persons who have been displaced internally as a consequence of the Sudan's long-running conflicts."
Furthermore, the resolution issued a "condemnation of all violence perpetrated against refugees and [internally displaced people], specifically including the rape of women and girls in Darfur and elsewhere."
U.S. embargo against Cuba
The convention passed legislation (A034) urging "continued advocacy and prayer from Episcopalians for an end to the United States embargo against Cuba, particularly provisions that hamper the mission of the Church in Cuba, including the restrictions on U.S. citizens traveling to Cuba, stringent limits on financial remittances from the U.S. to Cubans and severe restrictions on the ability of Cuban citizens to visit the United States."
The Episcopal Church in Cuba is governed by a Metropolitan Council, composed of the primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and the primate of the West Indies. The council has overseen the church in Cuba since it separated from the Episcopal Church in 1967.
Solidarity with Haiti
Convention passed a resolution (A036) to stand in solidarity with Haiti's people "as they struggle to recover from recent natural disasters, political turmoil, economic hardship, social dislocation and environmental degradation."
The Episcopal Church of Haiti is one of the Episcopal Church's 12 overseas dioceses and part of Province II. Haiti is the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere, with more than half of its people living on less than $1 per day. One-third of its children are malnourished, and 500,000 cannot attend school. The unemployment rate is estimated at 60 percent.
The most-populous diocese of the Episcopal Church, the Haitian diocese serves between 100,000 and 150,000 people in 168 congregations. The diocese's ministry includes 254 schools, which teach more than 80,000 Haitians from preschool to university level.
The diocese also runs medical clinics; a seminary and a university; a renowned philharmonic orchestra and children's choir; agricultural, reforestation and other development projects and micro-financing efforts run in part with help from ERD; and peace and reconciliation work, including its Desmond Tutu Center for Reconciliation and Peace and nonviolence training provided by the Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF).
In its resolution, General Convention commended "to all Episcopalians the Diocese of Haiti as a model of faithful ministry through its extensive and exemplary network of educational, medical and cultural institutions serving the people of Haiti."
Convention also commended the nonviolence work and "the efforts of the Presiding Bishop and the Office of Government Relations for their contribution to the negotiations that led to the cancellation of $1.2 billion in indebtedness."
Terrorist surge in Pakistan
The recent surge in terrorist activity and the intense military operation against the Taliban in the Swat valley and neighboring districts of Pakistan caused more than three million people to flee their homes. General Convention expressed its "solidarity with the Church of Pakistan and the whole Christian community in Pakistan and especially the Diocese of Peshawar, which borders Afghanistan."
In Resolution D084, convention calls upon the Episcopal Church to facilitate a visit to the United States "of one or more representatives of the Christian community in Pakistan to speak to the American people about the situation in Pakistan," and what Christians in the United States can do to help.
Besides the Diocese of Peshawar's relief work with internally displaced people, free medical care services are being arranged through the Diocesan Mission Hospital in Peshawar. ERD is partnering with the diocese in its relief efforts.
In its resolution, General Convention urges the international community "to provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care for the people of Pakistan who have fled from their homes, both those who are refugees and those who are internally displaced persons, especially the persecuted Christian community."
The resolution's explanation describes the refugee situation as the "largest civilian exodus since the genocide in Rwanda and the largest mass migration in southern Asia since the partition of India 60 years ago."
As with many resolutions passed by General Convention, it is expected that church members and the Office of Government Relations in Washington, D.C., will communicate the position of the Episcopal Church to the president and leaders of both houses of Congress.