CHICAGO (ELCA) -- President Clinton announced Dec. 3 he plans to halt U.S. military training within five years at Vieques, unless the island's residents choose otherwise. Vieques is an island that is part of Puerto Rico, located east of its main island. It has been the focus of demonstrations against U.S. military "live-fire" training there, including a demonstration Nov. 30 to Dec. 3 that foiled a planned exercise involving U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps personnel.
Next spring, the U.S. Navy plans to conduct limited military exercises at the island but not with live ammunition, the president also announced.
Several groups camped out on the island Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. Among those present were the Rev. Francisco L. Sosa, bishop of the Caribbean Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), San Juan, P.R.; three ELCA pastors, the Rev. Julio Cruz, Iglesia Luterana Principe de Paz, Caguas, P.R.; the Rev. Francisco J. Goitia-Padilla, Iglesia Luterana Getsemani, Dorado, P.R.; the Rev. Ivette Salgado, Iglesia Luterana Betel, Dorado, P.R.; and Sosa's brother, Angel.
Sosa said the ELCA group was there for pastoral purposes and to encourage demonstrators to protest in a non-violent way.
"Our goal was to accompany the people who've been there," Sosa said.
The ELCA clergy are part of a group of several clergy from other denominations that visit camps on a rotating basis in the military exercise area of Vieques, he said. Camps will remain there for the foreseeable future, including Christmas and New Year's Day, Sosa added.
Sosa said the clergy do not advocate for acts of civil disobedience. "We are calling for obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That's a different matter completely," Sosa said.
Bringing a halt to live-fire exercises and the resulting environmental damage on Vieques "is a matter of peace and justice for the 9,300 people who live on Vieques," Sosa added.
The U.S. Navy has used much of the island for military exercises for more than 50 years. In that time, island residents say the fishing industry has been disrupted, the island has become dotted with ammunition craters and homes have been damaged. On April 19, stray U.S. bombs killed a man and injured four others, raising tensions between Vieques residents and the U.S. military.
The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of ELCA, appealed in a Dec. 2 letter to President Clinton to halt U.S. military operations on Vieques. Anderson also asked Clinton to direct the U.S. Navy to leave the island as soon as possible.
Anderson urged Clinton to "respect the wishes of the people of Puerto Rico who have overwhelmingly" expressed their desire for the Navy to stop its operations on Vieques.
"The U.S. Navy presence on the island of Vieques has adversely affected the lives of its residents for over 50 years," Anderson said in his letter to Clinton. "It is time the United States respect the views of the inhabitants of Puerto Rico on this issue and return the land to the government of Puerto Rico."
Anderson also urged Clinton to begin an "aggressive" program to clean up the island and undo environmental damage caused by the U.S. Navy.
The ELCA, at its 1999 Churchwide Assembly, adopted a resolution that called on the U.S. government "to seek reasonable solutions" that will end all U.S. military operations on Vieques. The assembly resolution also asked that the land be returned to the people of the island "while not compromising our nation's security." It asked the ELCA Division for Church in Society, through the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), to work with federal officials in seeking these solutions.
In response to the assembly resolution, the Rev. Mark B. Brown, LOGA assistant director for international affairs and human rights, Washington, D.C., along with representatives of several related organizations, wrote to Clinton Oct. 12. The representatives requested the United States cease all military operations on Vieques and that the U.S. Navy leave the island as soon as possible.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
