Episcopal Press and News
International Clashes Are Played out at Hearings, Debates
Episcopal News Service. July 25, 1991 [91152]
Mike Barwell
The Episcopal Church's role as a critical voice on international affairs was tested during the 70th General Convention.
Not only were bishops and deputies in sharp disagreement on whether to commend or condemn the policy of President George Bush -- a prominent Episcopalian -- but they also got a frank rebuke from Jewish leaders for tinkering in the Israeli-Palestinian disputes.
Ultimately, resolutions praising Bush and the U.S. military for leadership during the Persian Gulf crisis -- characterized by one bishop as "among the most distressing to come to the floor of this house" -- were shot down with high-flying rhetoric.
Strong criticism of human rights violations against Palestinians dominated a hearing on international issues in the early days of convention as speakers expressed outrage at what they called intolerable conditions in the occupied territories held by Israel.
Speakers at the hearing held by the cognate Committees on National and International Problems also urged continued sanctions against South Africa, despite the easing of some apartheid laws, and called for the protection of human rights in Central America.
Many speakers testifying on the Middle East called for greater accountability for the substantial financial support of Israel by the United States government. "It seems anomalous that we're talking about sanctions against South Africa, and we don't ask a question about the $3 billion that goes to Israel from our government every year," said Mel Matteson, a deputy from the Diocese of Olympia. Despite evidence of brutality against Palestinians, "nothing seems to move our administration to say 'enough is enough,"' he said.
Matteson and others criticized the building of houses by Israeli settlers in the occupied territories. As more houses go up, "day by day it becomes harder" to find a peaceful solution that permits Palestinian sovereignty, he said.
"We built those houses," Bishop C. Cabell Tennis of Delaware said bluntly. "The policy of the government of the United States built those houses." At the same time, he said, "I do not think there is another force in the world other than our policy" that can help bring about peace.
"For 40 years, Palestinians have suffered," said Patti Browning, wife of Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning, who frequently visits the region on behalf of the church. "How long can they live while their land is being occupied by increasing numbers of settlers? It is urgent that the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis get under way."
The Most Rev. Samir Kafity, president-bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, a separate province of the Anglican Communion, said he was "grateful that the Christian Church has finally become vocal" in its concern about Palestinians. "We are a church, and a church that does not speak is no church."
Both sides must listen if there is to be change, Kafity said. "Israel must be humble to listen. So must the Palestinians who are not powerless. Peace requires change. They must change their minds." Security for Israel, he added, cannot be obtained "by militarism, but by having neighborly relations."
Israel's position was defended by Rabbi Robert L. Kravitz of the American Jewish Committee, and by David Peleg, minister of information from the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. "You should not go on record as being anti-Israeli, which would be anti your tradition and mine," Kravitz said. Such actions, he said, ".may, in fact, have the opposite effect" intended, by giving "the right wing an opportunity to become more defensive and more antagonistic against what you are looking for. Please open the door, don't slam it shut.
"The world will look for your deliberations to be fair, balanced, and not anti-Israel," Kravitz said. "The world is searching for peace. Peace is not easy to come by." Israel is surrounded by 22 Arab nations that have declared war on it, he said. "Were it not for the battle of survival against Jordanians and other Arabs," he said, the territories would not now be Israeli territory.
After deputies and bishops agreed to support an international conference to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Kravitz returned to the bishops to deliver a stinging rebuke, and a promise to help "constructively intensify relationships between the Episcopal Church and the Jewish community."
"The American Jewish Committee expresses keen disappointment with the tone, the substance, and the timing of the major Middle East resolutions and their lack of fairness," said Kravitz. "We would have hoped for a positive and reconciling statement regarding Israel, especially after our tribulations in the recent Gulf War, including 39 unprovoked missile attacks against civilian targets."
"We respond to your resolutions sadly, with a heavy heart," Kravitz said. "They are unfair and unbalanced and will not be helpful in the peace process. We regret the imbalance that cites only Israel by name, which places demands only on Israel by name."
Perhaps the most interesting tug-of-war was fought over resolutions commending Bush and U.S. military leaders -- such as Gen. Colin Powell, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Secretary of State James Baker, also Episcopalians -- for their role in the Gulf War.
Deputies said yes, bishops said no.
In a close vote by division of the house, the bishops chose not to concur with a House of Deputies resolution (D-135a) condemning Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, offering concern for the suffering of the Iraqi people, extending appreciation for the leadership of the president and military during the war, and commending efforts of relief agencies with war victims. The sticking point for the bishops centered on passages commending the president and military.
The vote came after the bishops approved by one vote an amendment to eliminate recognition of the president's "commitment to prayer, and his sensitivity to the needs of military personnel, their families, and the victims of warfare." The bishops' threadbare approval of the deletion -- 79 for and 78 against -- came after extensive debate in which several bishops questioned the wisdom of commending actions that resulted in tens of thousands of estimated casualties.
Bishop Sanford Hampton of Minnesota said he found the deputies' resolution to be "among the most distressing to come to the floor of this house." Hampton said that he and other bishops consider President Bush's actions in the Gulf to be "entirely inappropriate and inconsistent even for those who support the so-called just-war theories."
"What happened in the Gulf War," said Paul Moore, retired bishop of New York, "is one of the deepest tragedies and deepest blots on our country." The president has the blame for "the 200,000 dead" from that conflict, Moore said. "To commend him is the very last thing this house should do," he said.
Bishop Mellick Belshaw of New Jersey said he believed that commending the president would be in direct opposition to le ministry of the presiding bishop, a reference to Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning's counsel to Bush last fall not to go to war with Iraq.
Commenting after the defeat of the resolution, Browning said he thought the debate would serve as a valuable resource in his future meetings with President Bush. "He has asked me to continue to be in dialogue," Browning said. "I have every intention of sharing with him what this debate was like and what we see happening in this house."
In a separate session, Bishop Jose Saucedo of the Diocese of Cuernavaca in Southern Mexico said the Province IX bishops were frustrated over being "forgotten."
The Episcopal Church is comprised of 99 domestic dioceses grouped into eight geographical internal provinces. Province IX is a jurisdiction which includes dioceses in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and northern South America which were at one time missionary dioceses of the church.
Surrounded at the podium by the bishops of the ninth province, Saucedo reminded the bishops that the ninth province churches are no longer the arenas for chaplaincy work but national churches in their own right. Yet, he said, in committee reports, only the U.S. church is given recognition. "We cannot be forgotten. We are here and are a real part of the Episcopal Church," Saucedo told the bishops.
Support for U.S. sanctions against South Africa -- and protest of President Bush's July 10 action to lift them -- was voiced by most speakers addressing apartheid, and in a statement from Archbishop Desmond Tutu read by Chaplain James Anderson of Maryland.
"Regarding sanctions, we expected the U.S. to lift them," Tutu observed. "We are amazed at the speed with which they have done so, contrasting with their reluctance to impose them. We are upset that it appears to have happened without consultation with our black political leadership, reminiscent of the old paternalism of the West.
"Fortunately, sanctions have been effective -- they forced South Africa out of Angola, and so Namibia is independent," the statement continued. "The speed with which the sanctions are being lifted as a reward for Mr. de Klerk is the most eloquent testimony to their success."
A member of Tutu's staff, Emma Mashinini, director of reconciliation and justice programs for the Church in the Province of Southern Africa, told the committee that until quality education is available to all black children, and until land is restored to black ownership, apartheid is not ended, and sanctions are therefore in order.
By the end of convention, four resolutions about South Africa had been adopted. Convention resolutions on international affairs include the following:
- Commend the presiding bishop's response to the Gulf Crisis (A-164s).
- Extend greetings to President Bush and continue to offer prayers that he be led by the Holy Spirit in all decisions (D-074s).
- Call on the U.S. government to give full accounting of all military assistance and sale of military equipment to all nations in the Middle East (A-149s).
- Express deep concern over the actions of the U.S. that have contributed to the sale and spread of arms to nations throughout the world (D-187a).
- Deplore the reintroduction of weapons of all kinds into the Middle East by any nation (D-186).
- Commend dioceses and congregations in their support for emergency relief to Middle East countries (D-201).
- Declare commitment to religious liberty in the Middle East (D-130a).
- Urge the presiding bishop to consult with the President-Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East to determine the most useful long-term support and encouragement which the Episcopal Church can provide (D-007).
- Adopt the statement from the Anglican Primates Meeting in April 1991 regarding peace and justice issues arising from the Gulf War (B-01 la).
- Express solidarity with all Christians in the Middle East, especially the Diocese of Jerusalem and Bishop Samir Kafity; urge dioceses to study Christian-Muslim relations; encourage American Episcopalians to journey to Jerusalem (A-150s).
- Call upon Secretary General of the United Nations to call for unfreezing of assets of Palestinians and other refugees from the Gulf War (D-203).
- Recognize the distinction between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government and the impropriety of anti-Jewish prejudice (D-122).
- Support the efforts of the secretary of state to convene a conference to resolve the Palestinian/Israeli conflict (D-008s).
- Affirm the two-state solution for Israel and Palestinian refugees (A-147s).
- Commend the United States and allied troops who have effectively provided humanitarian relief and protection that allow the safe return of the Kurds to their traditional homeland in northern Iraq (D-200).
- Put pressure on the government of Kuwait to stop the secret trials and other punitive measures against Palestinians and Kuwaitis alleged to have collaborated in the Iraqi occupation (D-202).
- Request the President of the United States to lead the nation in an act of repentance for death, destruction, and displacement of persons in Iraq and nations of the Middle East (B-046a/a).
- Acknowledge progress being made toward electoral process in El Salvador that will lead to effective expression of the political will of the people of that country (D-133a).
- Express solidarity with sugar cane workers and their families in light of the "neglect, anguish, and terror suffered by all those who live in the sugar plantations of the Dominican Republic" The resolution also-demands that the Haitian and Dominican authorities work to guarantee the human rights of these people.(C-054a).
- Oppose use of Latin American countries as dumping places for waste, prohibited pesticide, and other chemical residue (B-044a).
- Support peace initiatives in Central America (A-160s).
- Call for improved diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, lifting the trade embargo (D-021a/a).
- Call upon the government of Brazil to support structural changes in that country (D-144s).
- Call on the United Nations to monitor the process bringing about negotiations to end apartheid and to establish a nonracial, democratic South Africa (A-155a).
- Reinstate comprehensive sanctions against South Africa until the Church of the Province of South Africa and the South African Council of Churches advise that the process for ending apartheid is irreversible (A-154s).
- Urge parishes and dioceses to express their love, concern and support to the Most Rev. Desmond Tutu of South Africa through study of the situation there, offering financial and other resources, and reaching out in intercessory prayer (A-158).
- Urge the United States government to press for a negotiated settlement that would bring an end to the present violence in South Africa caused by political and factional fighting (A-156).
- Affirm support for religious freedom for Christians in the People Republic of China (D-127a).
- Ask Japan to uphold the rights of Koreans and other minorities in Japan (D-052s).
- Call for religious freedom and economic liberty in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union (B-048).
- Commend the Japanese board and staff of Kiyosato Experimental Education Project (KEEP) (B-030).
- Commend the President of the United States for actions that suggest ending the understandable and long-held refusal to establish economic or diplomatic relations with Vietnam (D143a).
- Urge dioceses to commend and support efforts for peace in the world through the work of the Episcopal Peace and Justice Network (A-161, A-163).
- Encourage Vietnam and the United States to continue in their dialogue toward full diplomatic relations (D-129a).
- Express solidarity with Chinese people who are demonstrating their convictions about democracy during this time of crisis (C-019a).
- Urge Episcopal Migration Ministries and the Presiding Bishop's Fund to give high priority to repatriation of Liberians to their homeland and resettlement programs for those unable to return home; urge Episcopalians to be constant in prayer and generous in giving for this crisis (D-142).