Visiting Bishops Call for Episcopalians to Care for War-torn World
Episcopal News Service. July 25, 1991 [91165]
Barbara Ogilby
The courage and faith displayed by Christians in war-torn and suffering areas of the world are an inspiration and an incentive to action for Episcopalians, according to four visiting bishops who spoke at a luncheon at the 70th General Convention in Phoenix.
The bishops' remarks resounded like a litany of world catastrophes from the past year, coming from four church leaders who personally have experienced war, famine, or societal stress:
- The Most Rev. George Browne, archbishop of the Church of the Province of West Africa and bishop of Liberia, whose country has been ravaged by civil war and famine. Browne emerged only this winter after surviving the ravages of tribal warfare in Liberia, where he was one of only two church leaders to stay in the capital of Monrovia throughout the conflict.
- The Most Rev. Richard Abellon, prime bishop of the newly autonomous Philippine Episcopal Church, whose clergy and people have suffered through earthquakes, typhoons, and volcanic eruptions.
- The Rt. Rev. Samir Kafity, president bishop of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, where Palestinian Christians and other Christians found themselves in the midst of the Persian Gulf War and the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
- The Rt. Rev. James Ottley, bishop of Panama and vice president of the House of Bishops, who is working with other Christian churches to help Panama rebuild in the aftermath of the U.S. invasion, deposition of that country's dictator, and an earthquake.
Browne vividly described the anxiety of living in a country wracked by civil war. He told of being cut off from family and friends, facing threats of torture and death by armed bands of "freedom fighters." He said he and others were forced to scavenge for leaves and the hearts of palms trees, because food supplies were not allowed through rebel lines. Wheelbarrows, the only "vehicles" available, were used as ambulances for the wounded and dying, Browne said. By the end of October 1990, Browne claimed, 20,000 people had been killed and 750,000 people were displaced.
As conflict raged throughout the country, Browne asked church members to read Psalm 23 slowly three times a day for ten days. "After the crisis," Browne related, "people said they were strengthened [by knowing] that the Lord was still their shepherd, and he was walking with them through the valley of the shadow of death."
Liberia remains divided, with some parts of the country still cut off from the capital, and transportation, businesses, and agriculture are crippled, Browne reported. "We need to begin counseling to help people recover from trauma," he said. "We need help with farming -- seeds and tools." He urged the Episcopal Church, and the Anglican Communion worldwide, to become more visible and aggressive in its relief efforts to Liberia.
Bishop Kafity described Christians in the Middle East, many of whom are Palestinian, as "not just carrying the cross: they are crucified."
"For at least 43 years [since Israel became an officially recognized state], they have beer searching for peace and the suffering continues," Kafity said.
All people in that region of the world suffered during the Persian Gulf War, Kafity reported, but Palestinians -- already under special restrictions by the Israeli government -- faced unique hardships. At one point, he said, all Palestinians were placed under house arrest for 43 days. Food shortages, even in hospitals and children's homes, were widespread.
"Palestinians seek a home," Kafity said, adding that the partition of the Middle East after World War II occurred "without them having a say where their lands and homes were.
"The church is still there, a symbol of reconciliation and of the new kingdom of God that we hope will be established," Kafity concluded.
The new Philippine Episcopal Church, in its brief year and a half as an independent church province, has experienced an earthquake, a typhoon, and volcanic eruptions, according to Bishop Abellon. Communication lines and housing have been destroyed, he said, and many people have been killed.
Abellon thanked the Episcopal Church for "assistance that enabled us to perform our Christian duty serving those in need." The Philippine Church helped refugees relocate in two emergency camps, and evacuees are still living in the cathedral in Manila, he reported.
"These crises have brought us closer," Abellon said. "God has not stayed up there but is incarnate and uses us as members of his body to serve others... In the power of his Holy Spirit, we will continue to serve."
Abellon said he supported the drive to remove the U.S. bases from the Philippines. "To be anti-bases is not to be anti-American," he said. "If the vestiges of colonialism were removed, growth would be enabled," he said. "Cooperation should not be tied into the military but to wider concerns," he said, adding that he hoped the "growing relationship between the U.S. and Philippine churches could show alternative ways we can continue to grow, not pegged to military hardware."
Bishop Ottley gave a brief overview of Panama's history, which he described as "born out of" and continuing to live in crisis. The United States helped Panama gain independence from Columbia in 1903, but in exchange the new country signed a treaty ensuring that the Panama Canal would be under U.S. control. For many years Panama was ruled by an oligarchy of 14 families, Ottley explained, who were succeeded by Manuel Noriega, known to be an agent of the CIA since he was 15.
Ottley said that the U.S. turned a blind eye to Noriega's drug-dealing for many years, until they decided to depose him. He described the war against Panama as an example of the "low-intensity conflict" which the House of Bishops condemned in a resolution adopted on July 14. "The only people who win" in such a conflict "are those who sell arms," Ottley said. "Twenty-one American soldiers were killed, but no one cared about the many [Panamanian] citizens who lost their lives."
In the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Panama, more than a quarter of the population is unemployed, the country's legal system was destroyed, and many advancements in education and housing were lost. In many ways, the relationship between the U.S. and Panama is similar to that of 1903, Ottley said, with the oligarchy back in power.
A recent earthquake in Central America added to the suffering of his people, but Ottley said the crises have brought the Christian churches together to provide relief. "We have a unique opportunity to serve," he said.
In answer to a question about what convention-goers should take back to their parishes, Browne endorsed the resolution condemning low-intensity conflict.
Abellon suggested that Episcopalians should ask themselves, "What is the best offering America can give to ease these crises? Will it be [military] hardware?"
Kafity said he was grateful for the support of the Episcopal Church during the Persian Gulf War. Many people visited in a time of danger, which was a "great witness," he said, adding he remains concerned that only a few U.S. leaders determine foreign policy.
Ottley echoed Kafity's call for more involvement in the policy-making process. "The American people are the most generous in the world, but people are often not aware of decisions made by their government. How can you take the government back into your hands?"
General Convention approved other legislation regarding the life of the church throughout the world, which now become church policy:
- Hold up the cross-cultural missionary vocation as a vital expression of the apostolic nature of the church as exemplified by the Volunteers for Mission program and the Episcopal Council for Global Mission (A-068a).
- Accept communicants of the member churches of the Anglican Communion to serve as "missionaries of/to this church" (A-231).
- Endorse guidelines for companion dioceses' relationships (A-236).
- Establish guidelines on autonomous provinces in the Anglican Communion (A-235a).
- Request the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons and the Standing Committee on Structure to consider ways of incorporating Anglican Partners in discussions over loss of diversity in decision-making bodies (A-238a).
- Authorize an additional trial period of six years for creation of the Province of the Andes (C-070a).
- Congratulate Zimbabwe on its Anglican Centenary (D-069).
- Grant the church in Haiti another three-year period to continue research and experience in the Caribbean region (C-065a).
- Request greetings be sent to the Anglican Province of Papua, New Guinea on its 100th anniversary (B-053).
- Extend by three years the trial period for autonomy of the Central Region of America (C-038a).
- ..Affirm upcoming Partners in Mission II Consultation called by the Episcopal Church (D-103).