CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Church Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) learned that United States military "live-fire" training continues on Vieques, Puerto Rico, causing harm to the island's environment and welfare of its people, according to the Rev. Mario C. Miranda, a council member from Bayamon, Puerto Rico.
The Church Council is the ELCA's board of directors and serves as the legislative authority of the church between its churchwide assemblies. The council met here April 7-9. Assemblies are held every other year; the next is in August 2001 in Indianapolis.
Vieques is an island that is part of Puerto Rico, located east of its mainland. Residents there have said the fishing industry has been disrupted, homes have been damaged and the island has become littered with bomb shells. 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 U.S. Navy has used much of the island for military exercises for more than 50 years," said Miranda, a retired U.S. Navy captain. He delivered to the council current information about military conditions on Vieques.
"The end to bomb testing and other military activities on Vieques is nowhere near. Some perceive that the military operations there have become civil disobedience," Miranda told the board. "There is solidarity among the people of Puerto Rico that the bombing should stop."
The council viewed a video illustrating the destruction of the island's natural resources and the depressed living conditions of its residents. Miranda said civilians were given financial resources to help improve living conditions, but they have expressed "that it is not enough."
The 1999 ELCA 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.
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
