Episcopal Press and News
Honduras Convention Asks Caution, Balance
Episcopal News Service. February 28, 1985 [85048]
TEGULIGALPA, Honduras (DPS, Feb. 28) -- "When a bullet is fired, it does not matter whether it comes from the left or the right. The person whom that bullet strikes will suffer, and it is with that suffering person that the Church must be concerned...In our concern for justice and peace, we must not close our eyes to the sins of one country while we condemn the sins of its enemies."
So spoke the Rt. Rev. Leopold Frade, Episcopal bishop of Honduras, of the Church's role in Central America. He made his remarks at the twelfth annual convention of the diocese held Jan. 18-29 in Siguatepeque. During the convention, the diocese approved a resolution praising the government and people of Honduras for maintaining peace in the face of provocation. It also called upon Episcopalians -- individuals, congregations and task groups - to be cautious in making statements regarding Central America and to consult with their churches there and consider their circumstances before making declarations which affect the lives of the people in troubled areas.
"It is irresponsible for those at a safe distance to make political statements which will have dire consequences for innocent people in Central America," Frade said. "Here we know that we all must respect one another's understanding of the realities with which we live.
"I believe strongly that the Church's primary role is that of peacemaker and that it must always give its prophetic voice to the struggle for justice. But it cannot be a one-sided search for peace. It must be open to and balanced toward the sins and virtues of every side. We protest foreign aggression against Nicaragua; we must also protest Nicaragua's aggression against Honduras. Atrocities have been committed by both sides in every country. We must acknowledge human suffering wherever it exists."
Presently, Honduras receives refugees from El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Frade and his diocese believe in amnesty and asylum for all refugees. They recognize Honduras' need to protect itself from armed aggression but wish that the money now needed for national defense could be used for human development.
"We don't have the final answers for the great tragedies of our time and place," Frade said. "It is hard to keep our small candle of reason and peace lit in the great dark hole which surrounds us. But we must give voice to whatever understandings and convictions we have. The Church does itself a great disservice when it sells itself to one side of any conflict. In doing so, Christian perspective is destroyed, and we lose our vision of the truth."
In other convention action, the Diocese of Honduras established October 16 as World Food Day and set aside the previous Sunday for prayer and study of world hunger. It will request the 1985 General Convention of the Episcopal Church to do the same.
The convention offering was designated for the Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief for assistance to the starving people of Ethiopia. Honduras is the poorest of the Spanish American countries, but its people offered what they could to help others.
The convention also approved the establishment of an Episcopal orphanage for girls. The Church's home for abandoned boys is now flourishing in Tegucigalpa.
In his convention address, Frade requested that his diocese work toward achieving autonomy before the year 2000. Foremost in its strategy for this is the training of native clergy. If the money can be raised, 20 new aspirants will begin their training soon and ordinations will be possible in two to three years.
Frade also asked the diocese to increase its social and spiritual ministry to the Miskito Indians and among the Garifonas, descendants of rebellious slaves who still live in isolation and poverty, speaking African dialects and observing pagan customs.
A guest of the diocesan convention was the Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina, first bishop of Honduras, who was forced by ill health to resign in 1983. During his five-year episcopacy, the diocese grew from 6 to 24 churches and by thousands of members. Pina praised his successor, Frade, for his efforts to continue the rapid growth which makes the Diocese of Honduras the fastest-growing diocese in the Episcopal Church.