The Acts of Convention

House of Deputies

Original Text of Resolution:

(D015)

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring, That this 71st General Convention reaffirm its support for human rights throughout the world and states its conviction that civil rights and political freedom are the universal bedrock of any meaningful scheme of human rights, without regard to cultural particularities or social location; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention commend to the members of the Episcopal Church our ecumenical support for human rights as a moral imperative for Christians, growing out of the biblical understandings that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, that they are endowed by God with an inalienable dignity, and that they thereby possess a value that is prior to and not dependent upon the acknowledgment of such rights by a political entity; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention commend the current Administration for its support for human rights, including its warning against cultural relativism on human rights made at the 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention encourage the Administration to take the initiative internationally in promoting the cause of human rights and in restoring the primary focus of human rights efforts to the civil rights and political freedoms that are the basic building blocks of decent and humane societies; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention request that all bishops of the Anglican Communion seek to carry on and increase the dialogue, both within the churches and between the churches and their governments, on issues of human rights, especially those issues relevant to their own jurisdictions; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention commend to the National Council of Churches, which has requested dialogue with its member communions on human rights as it prepares its own policy statement on that subject, the perspective contained in this resolution and its accompanying explanation.

Proposed Committee Amendment:

Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring , That the 71st General Convention commend to the National Council of Churches, which has requested dialogue with its member commissions on human rights as it prepares its own policy statement on this subject, the perspective contained in this resolution; and be it further

Resolved, That this 71st General Convention reaffirm its support for human rights throughout the world and states its conviction that civil rights and political freedom are the universal bedrock of any meaningful scheme of human rights , without regard to cultural particularities or social location; and be it further

Resolved, That this 71^st General Convention commend to the members of the Episcopal Church our ecumenical and interfaith support for human rights as a moral imperative for Christians, growing out of the biblical understandings that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God, that they are endowed by God with an inalienable dignity, and that they thereby possess a value that is prior to and not dependent upon the acknowledgment of such rights by a political entity; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention commend the current Administration for its support for human rights, including its warning against cultural relativism on human rights made at the 1993 Vienna Conference on Human Rights; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention encourage the Administration to take the initiative internationally in promoting the cause of human rights and in restoring the primary focus of human rights efforts to the civil rights and political freedoms that are the basic building blocks of decent and humane societies; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention request that all bishops of the Anglican Communion seek to carry on and increase the dialogue, both within the churches and between the churches and their governments, on issues of human rights, especially those issues relevant to their own jurisdictions; and be it further

Resolved, That this Convention commend to the National Council of Churches, which has requested dialogue with its member communions on human rights as it prepares its own policy statement on that subject, the perspective contained in this resolution and its accompanying explanation; and be it further

Resolved, That this 71st General Convention encourage the President and the Secretary of State to take the initiative internationally in promoting the cause of human rights and in restoring the primary focus of human rights effort to the civil rights and political freedoms that are the building blocks of decent and humane societies; and be it further

Resolved, That this 71st General Convention commend continuing dialogue, both within the churches and between other faith communities and their governments, on issues of human rights, especially those issues relevant to their own jurisdictions.

Motion carried

Resolution adopted with amendment

(Communicated to the House of Bishops in HD Message #31)