The Acts of Convention

House of Bishops

Original Text of Resolution:

(B039)

Whereas, Christians are called to be agents of reconciliation, working to bind up the wounds of war and overcome the tragic divisions between nations and peoples; and

Whereas, thirteen years after the end of the war in Vietnam the United States has yet to normalize relations with the government of Vietnam; and

Whereas, normalization of relations would facilitate the resolution of a number of vital and neglected bilateral issues, such as:

1. missing in action military personnel (MIAs);
2. Amerasian children;
3. refugees;
4. reunification of Vietnamese families;
5. access to medical expertise and facilities for the war-wounded;
6. medical research, especially on Dioxin and its effects;
7. human rights, especially incarceration in re-education camps and religious freedom;
8. political settlement of the Kampuchea (Cambodia) situation;
9. trade and economic relationships; and

Whereas, a growing bipartisan voice in Congress and in the country at large is calling for an end to the diplomatic and economic isolation of Vietnam, an isolation which ironically deprived the United States of a responsible voice in the settlement of the situation in Cambodia; and finally

Whereas, Americans ache for a sense of closure of the Vietnamese-American conflict; therefore be it

Resolved, the House of Deputies concurring, That the 69th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, meeting July 2-11, 1988 in Detroit, Michigan, urge the President and Congress of the United States to proceed without delay toward normalization of relations with the government of Vietnam; and be it further

Resolved, That members of the Episcopal Church pray and work unceasingly for reconciliation between the people of our land and Vietnam, that the wounds of war may be healed, prisoners released, families reunited and the peace of God ushered in.

Motion carried

Resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Deputies in HB Message #240)