ELCA Presiding Bishop Criticizes White House on Iraq

CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) Saying he is "very disappointed" that President George W. Bush has declined thus far to meet with a group of U.S. religious leaders about the possibility of war with Iraq, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), said he will continue to press for a meeting but is not optimistic.
Hanson made the remarks here in a report to the ELCA Conference of Bishops. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by a bishop. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body to the church, consisting of the church's 65 synod bishops, ELCA presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. The conference met here March 6-11.
There have been two requests by U.S. religious leaders to meet with Bush, Hanson said in an interview. In the first, more than 40 U.S. religious leaders -- most of whom oppose a war with Iraq -- asked for a meeting with the President, through the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC). The President's staff declined, questioning why Bush should meet with a group of people opposed to the President's policy, Hanson said.
"I say that would be a reason in and of itself," he said in an interview. "I would hope our President is in constant conversation with folks with whom he is not in agreement."
After the NCC request, Hanson said he raised the issue again at a recent meeting of U.S. religious leaders. As a result of that discussion, he asked the White House staff again for a meeting -- this time with a group of religious leaders with views ranging "from conservative to moderate to liberal," he said.
"We have not officially received a 'no,' but we have not received a 'yes,' and I've gotten no indication that [meeting] would happen," Hanson said. "I'm very concerned, because for us, war is first and last, a moral issue."
"If the President severs himself from moral leaders in the society and hears and heeds only the voices that are advising him in terms of what is strategically the right military response, then I think we have essentially had our President turn his back on moral leaders, which I think we as religious leaders are in this country," Hanson said.
In recent weeks several NCC-led delegations have traveled to meet with religious and political leaders in Europe about the situation with Iraq. Their travels have included stops in Berlin, London, Moscow, Paris and Rome, he said. In one meeting, U.S. religious leaders met for nearly one hour with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"This is a man who supports our President's policy who was willing to hear the voices of U.S. religious leaders," Hanson said. "Now, those same religious leaders are asking to meet with President Bush and have been turned down so far. I am very disappointed about that."
Hanson said he will be persistent with White House staff and will continue to ask for a meeting of U.S. religious leaders with President Bush.
In the meantime, Hanson suggested that leaders of the church need to "convene our own communities of faith in moral deliberation and expect that we're not all of one mind about this," he said. " This is a very complex issue."

THE CHURCH MUST SPEAK PUBLICLY
Hanson's remarks about Iraq and the President's unwillingness thus far to meet with U.S. religious leaders followed his comments to the bishops about the need for church leaders to speak publicly.
In the ELCA constitution, in its clergy standards and in letters of call, ordained leaders are expected to "speak publicly to the world," Hanson said. Bishops of the church should speak publicly and work with clergy in their synods to do the same when it is appropriate, he said.
On several occasions, Hanson has spoken publicly about a variety of issues. He has called for U.S. leadership to find peaceful means to solve Middle East violence, and he has criticized the Bush Administration's talk of war with Iraq. In each case, Hanson has referred to ELCA social statements to "ground" his positions.
Some ELCA members have asked Hanson what gives him the right to speak on such issues, he said. "I respond 'by virtue of my call,'" he said. "I'm seeking to be faithful to my call and the call of the church."
Hanson said he is presently working with Dr. Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, School of Theology and Ministry, Seattle, and others in the church to strengthen his role in the public arena.
"Obviously the world situation is one that calls for our speaking," he told the bishops. "Our colleagues in the global church, especially those in the world Lutheran church, encourage us to speak."

TRUST, FINANCES ARE ONGOING CONCERNS
In his report to the bishops, Hanson also reviewed other ongoing topics in the church:
+ Since he became presiding bishop in November 2001, Hanson's schedule has included visits to the synods of the church. To date, he has completed 52 visits to the ELCA's 65 synods. "I sense among the synod's leaders ... a profound gratitude for your leadership," he told the Conference of Bishops. "I also sense some real apprehension about the work that's ahead of us."
+ Among the concerns is the ongoing ELCA studies on sexuality, mandated by action of the 2001 ELCA Assembly in Indianapolis. The process calls for study of questions related to blessings of same-sex relationships -- for which there is no official ELCA policy -- and the possibility of ordaining gay and lesbian people in committed relationships -- presently precluded by ELCA policy. A report with any recommendations is to come to the 2005 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
+ Hanson said one of his "deepest fears" is that "the vast middle of this church is becoming more and more disengaged from the wider church." These members lack a passion for the wider church, and there is a lack of trust for church leadership, Hanson suggested. It is difficult to re-establish trust when some members are not engaged in wider relationships with the church, he said.
+ Strategic planning efforts for the ELCA continue, Hanson said. During their meeting, the bishops discussed some suggested mission and vision statements, and possible priorities. The ELCA Church Council, the church's board of directors, is expected to consider formal strategic planning proposals when it meets in April. A "dilemma" in the process is that the churchwide organization is experiencing a decline in income, Hanson said. "How do we deal with the momentum of the loss of income and planning for the churchwide organization?" he asked.

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