The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(A160)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 1991 General Convention of the Episcopal Church:

1. Greets and gives assurance of prayers and support to the Episcopal Church and its Bishops in the Dioceses of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica;
2. Calls on the President of the United States and the Congress to terminate all military-related aid to El Salvador, and to facilitate a negotiated solution to the civil war which has raged there for more than 10 years; and
3. Calls on the United States government to carry through on its promises to assist in rebuilding the societies of Nicaragua and Panama, on which United States money and military actions have inflicted such destruction; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and to Episcopal and other appropriate members of the Congress.

Proposed Committee Substitute:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That the 1991 General Convention of the Episcopal Church:

1. Greets and gives assurance of prayers and support to the Episcopal Church and its Bishops in the Dioceses of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and Costa Rica;
2. Re-affirms the statement of the 67th General Convention calling upon the Government of the United States and all other nations to end military assistance to El Salvador and other Central American countries in order to obtain a just and lasting peace;
3. Re-affirms the statement of the 68th General Convention that supported negotiated, rather than military, solutions to the civil war in El Salvador and other regional conflicts, and respect for human rights;
4. Supports a strong role for the United Nations Secretary General and his representative who is facilitating the current negotiations in El Salvador;
5. Supports the transfer of U.S. military aid money to a reconstruction fund which can be used for demobilization, monitoring political settlements, and reconstruction and development, including for refugees and repopulations; with the requirement that economic aid be used for humanitarian purposes and must not be given as unrestricted cash transfers to the Salvadoran government or used for any project controlled by the Salvadoran military;
6. Urges the U.S. Secretary of State to insist on the continued investigation and full prosecution of those responsible for the 1989 assassination of the six (6) Jesuit priests and two (2) women;
7. Calls on the United States government to carry through on its promises to assist in rebuilding the societies of Nicaragua and Panama, on which United States money and military actions have inflicted such destruction; and be it further

Resolved, That copies of this resolution be sent to the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, and to Episcopalian and other appropriate members of the Congress.

Motion carried

Substitute resolution adopted

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #178)