CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Caribbean Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) issued a statement May 12 that calls for an end to U.S. military occupation on Vieques, an island eight miles east of Puerto Rico. The synod, one of 65 of the ELCA, is made up of 6,992 Lutherans in 26 congregations of the ELCA.
"Now is the time where God is calling us to be a voice for Vieques," said the statement. "There are times where we need to give witness to the gospel with bold actions and take a clear stand for principles. This is just what we are doing in Vieques -- standing for = the=20 principles of justice, dignity and peace."
The statement called for Lutherans in the United States to join ELCA members in Puerto Rico "to pray and witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ." It said, "We need a strong and clear word of commitment from the ELCA. We need the ELCA, motivated by a sense of compassionate solidarity, to take sides with the oppressed people of Vieques and leap into this struggle with us, firmly and positively, to promote justice and human rights."
"Ever since the second World War, U.S. military personnel have used Vieques to exercise its war tactics," the Rev. Francisco L. Sosa, bishop of the ELCA's Caribbean Synod, Dorado, Puerto Rico, said. "As a consequence of live-fire ammunition and bombing, the island and health of the people on Vieques have suffered tremendously."
"There are more than 9,500 human beings that have been...forced to live in a war-like environment for more than 60 years. We are taking a stand on behalf of God's creation, God's little ones, and God's desire for justice and peace," the statement said.
Lutheran pastors and lay people from Puerto Rico have participated in a Christian ecumenical campaign to halt military activity on Vieques. Their protest began last year after a local man, working as a security guard on the target range, was killed by a stray bomb.
Sosa said the death of David Sanes Rodriguez has magnified the claim for justice and peace by the people of Puerto Rico. "We are pledging that not one more bomb is dropped on Vieques," he said.
"Our plea to the rest of the church is to pray and witness to the gospel with us," Sosa said. "We need a strong and clear word of commitment from the entire church."
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 in Washington, D.C., to "encourage the U.S. government to seek reasonable solutions." ------------------- The full text of the statement from the ELCA Caribbean Synod is on the Web at www.elca.org/dcs/vieques.html.
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
