Standing
Commission on Anglican and International Peace
with Justice Concerns
www.episcopalchurch.org/gc/ccab/scaipjc/default.html
Membership
The Rt. Rev. Richard L. Shimpfky, Chair, El Camino Real, 2003
Ms. Mayra Arguelles, Honduras, 2006
Mrs. Jackie B. Batjer, Northwest Texas, 2003
The Rev. Theodora Brooks, New York, 2006
The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston, Massachusetts, 2006. Resigned and not replaced
Dr. Louie Crew, Newark. 2003. Member as well as Executive Council liaison
The Rev. Randolph K. Dales, New Hampshire, 2006
Mr. Fred H. Ellis, Dallas, 2003
The Rt. Rev. J. Gary Gloster, North Carolina, 2006
The Rev. Herbert J. McMullan, Virginia, 2006
Ms. Mary H. Miller, Maryland, 2006.
The Rev. Canon Benjamin Musoke-Lubega, Michigan, 2003. Resigned and replaced by
The Rev. Nancy A.G. Vogele, Vermont
Ms. Jacqueline B. Scott, Secretary, Colorado, 2006.
The Rt. Rev. E. Don Taylor, New York, 2003
The Commission extends its sincere thanks to the Rt. Rev. Richard L.
Shimpfky for his leadership and his extraordinary gift of himself, his time and
his faithfulness. The Commission is also grateful for the professional
assistance so freely given it by the Rev. Canon Brian J. Grieves, Director,
Peace and Justice Ministries Program, and to Mr. Thomas Hart, Director, Office
of Government Relations, Peace and Justice Ministries Program.
Commission Representatives at General Convention
Bishop Gary Gloster and
Deputy Jacqueline B. Scott are authorized to receive non-substantive amendments
to this report.
Work
Summary
The duty of the Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns (SCAIPJC or the Commission) is to develop recommendations and strategies regarding ministry opportunities and concerns shared with other Provinces of the Anglican Communion as to the work of this Church and the Anglican Communion on issues of international peace with justice and to make recommendations to the Presiding Bishop, the Executive Council and the General Convention.
The Commission reaffirmed the Guidelines established by its predecessor Commissions to determine areas of involvement including: a) a significant Anglican presence; b) systemic injustice as evidenced by racism; use of violence as a matter of policy, domination or control; or human suffering; c) availability of adequate and verifiable information with resources for decision-making, including the possibility for consultation with affected parties; d) significant U.S. involvement—political, economic, or military; e) potential for large-scale impact and f) an invitation from the concerned parties.
The Executive Council referred GC Resolution 2000-A057 Trafficking in Women, Girls and Boys to SCAIPJC. The issues were examined in two site visits and addressed in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Resolution A002. Additionally, in each site visit the commission witnessed examples of the worldwide persecution of gay and lesbian Christians and the need for the conversations called for by Lambeth resolutions.
The Commission met four times, carrying out its work between meetings by site visits, extensive use of email, and internet and other research. The Commission received the written report from the Anglican Peace and Justice Network meeting of November 2001.
Speakers/experts who addressed the AIPJC:
•The Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley, former Bishop of Connecticut
•The Very Rev. George L.W. Werner, President of the House of Deputies
•Dr. Douglas Huber, Epidemiologist, Anglican Conference on AIDS in South Africa
•The Rev. Leon Spencer, Washington Office on Africa
•The Rt. Rev. Daniel Deng Bul of Renk Diocese in the Upper Nile of Sudan,
Chairman, Peace and Justice Committee, House of Bishops of Sudan
•Mr. Adam Isacson, Center for International Policy, Columbia Project
•Ms. Yuki Tatsumi, Center for Strategic and International Studies
•The Rev. Canon Tony Jewiss, Deputy Executive Officer, Office of General Convention
•The Rev. Canon Brian Grieves, Director, Peace and Justice Ministries Program
•Mr. Tom Hart, Director, Episcopal Office of Government Relations, Peace and Justice Ministries Program
•Ms. Jere Skipper, International Policy Analyst, Episcopal Office of Government Relations
•Confidential reports from various U.S. State Department officials
•Uganda, Kenya and Sudanese bishops (Crew, Dales, McMullan, Scott, Shimpfky),
•Japan and Korea (Crew, Miller, Shimpfky)
•Colombia and Brazil (Batjer, Brooks, Ellis, Gloster)
•Funding for the Episcopal Dioceses of Colombia
•Opposition to pre-emptive attack by the United States on Iraq
•Interim Report on Sudan
•September 11, 2001 attacks on Washington, D.C. and New York City
The Commission has its own Web site, http://newark.rutgers.edu/~lcrew/scaai.html, established in 1997 by Dr. Louie Crew. Site visit reports and reports from the previous triennium are posted on the web site. It may also be reached through the General Convention web site for the Commission.
The Commission’s work this triennium was conducted in the context of heightened conflict and increased civilian casualties in Israel and Palestine, the September 11, 2001 attack on the United States, the US military action in Afghanistan, the build-up to war with Iraq, and the threat of nuclear weapons in North Korea, as well as continuing conflicts in other regions of the world.
As civilian and religious leaders use the terminology of traditional Just War principles either to support or to reject the morality of a “war on terror,” the SCAIPJC realizes that many people remain unaware of the religious concept of Just War or the clear Anglican and Episcopal teaching on war. The Commission proposes a resolution to put before Episcopalians these traditional resources about the waging of peace and the waging of war, with the hope that widespread discussion and discernment may continue within our household of faith as the Episcopal Church and its members “seek peace and pursue it.”
Resolution A033 Just and Unjust Wars
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring, That the 74th General Convention, recalling the longstanding Episcopal Church view, originally adopted by the 1930 Lambeth Conference and by the 1931 General Convention, that “war as a method of settling international disputes is incompatible with the teaching and example of our Lord Jesus Christ,” calls upon all members of the Episcopal Church, in discussions about war and especially the strategy of preemptive strikes, to seriously consider and utilize the Just War criteria developed over the centuries and generally expressed as follows:
First, whether lethal force may be used is governed by the following criteria:
· Just cause: Force may be used only to correct a grave, public evil, i.e., aggression or massive violation of the basic rights of whole populations.
· Comparative justice: While there may be rights and wrongs on all sides of a conflict, to override the presumption against the use of force, the injustice suffered by one part must significantly outweigh that suffered by the other.
· Legitimate authority: Only duly constituted public authorities may use deadly force or wage war.
· Right intention: Force may be used only in a truly just cause and solely for that purpose.
· Probability of success: Arms may not be used in a futile cause or in a case where disproportionate measures are required to achieve success.
· Proportionality: The overall destruction expected from the use of force must be outweighed by the good to be achieved.
· Last resort: Force may be used only after all peaceful alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted.
These criteria taken as a whole must be satisfied in order to override the strong presumption against the use of force.
Second, the just war tradition seeks also to curb the violence of war through restraint on armed combat between the contending parties by imposing the following moral standards for the conduct of armed conflict:
· Noncombatant immunity: Civilians may not be the objects of direct attack, and military personnel must take due care to avoid and minimize indirect harm to civilians.
· Proportionality: In the conduct of hostilities, efforts must be made to attain military objectives with no more force than is militarily necessary and to avoid disproportionate collateral damage to civilian life and property.
· Right intention: Even in the midst of conflict, the aim of political and military leaders must be peace with justice, so that acts of vengeance and indiscriminate violence, whether by individuals, military units or governments, are forbidden; and be it further
Resolved, That when legitimate civilian authority determines that war is justified, members of the Episcopal Church recall our Lord’s teaching to love our enemies, counsel that participation in or refusal to participate in any war is a discernment process requiring deep reflection and prayer with humility, and acknowledge that one participates in war with great reluctance, always seeking God’s mercy and forgiveness.
It is the Commission’s experience, reinforced throughout the triennium, that, despite the existence of phenomenal abundance in wealth and technology, much of humankind continues to labor under the seemingly intractable problems related to poverty, a dearth of educational opportunities, grossly excessive rates of malnutrition and disease, the continuing oppression of women and the scandalously abusive squandering of the gift of millions of children, many of whom are seriously at risk and subject to cruel and early death. This specter was evident in all areas where we traveled as guests of the local Church.
In the face of this juggernaut of carnage, the Commission’s hopes were buoyed by the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. It is our conviction that these Development Goals provide a relevant framework for the church to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ through and with our Church partners around globally. All 189 United Nation member states have pledged to meet its goals by the year 2015.
Resolution A034 United Nations Millennium Development Goals
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring,
That the 74th General Convention endorse and embrace the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals, and urge the Episcopal Church to use the goals as
an effective framework in its development efforts; and be it further
Resolved, That the United States
government, as one of the 189 national signatories to the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals, be encouraged to provide appropriate leadership
and resources toward international efforts to implement these goals through
strategies to include, but not limited to, debt relief, development assistance
and trade policy.
These goals are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
· Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day.
· Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
2. Achieve universal primary education
· Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling.
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
· Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005 and at all levels by 2015.
4. Reduce child mortality
· Reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate among children under 5.
5. Improve maternal health
· Reduce by two-thirds the maternal mortality ratio.
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
· Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
· Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
· Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs; reverse loss of environmental resources.
· Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
· Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.
8. Develop a global partnership for development
· Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory. Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction – nationally and internationally.
· Address the least developed countries’ special needs. This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports, enhances debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries, cancellation of official bilateral debt, and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction.
· Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing States.
· Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term.
· In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth.
· In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.
· In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies – especially information and communications technologies.
Africa is a continent of extreme contrasts, a place of widespread desperation mixed with great hope. One of its greatest hopes is the Anglican Church in Africa, often the most effective vehicle for change and assistance, whether dealing with AIDS, orphans, education, civil unrest, or religious and territorial clashes. The Commission vigorously supports the adoption by the Episcopal Church of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (Resolution A034) to be used as a framework for efforts in support of our African sisters and brothers.
Great Lakes Region – AIDS, Poverty and Injustice
The Great Lakes African nations of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda, along with the war-ravaged country of Sudan, comprise one of three areas worldwide studied by SCAIPJC this triennium. Five commission members traveled to Uganda in 2001, where they met with Archbishop Livingstone Mpalanyi-Nkoyoyo of Uganda and provincial leaders. In addition, the team spent two days with 21 of the 24 bishops of the Episcopal Church of Sudan, gathered for a Provincial meeting in Kampala, Uganda. One commission member went to Kenya to meet with Archbishop David Gitari.
Commission members went to the Great Lakes Region with four goals: to learn more about AIDS and the Church’s efforts to combat it; to give attention to the role of education and the plight of women and children; to witness the effects of globalization and urbanization on this part of Africa; and to understand more about Christian-Islamic tensions and regional conflicts.
The astounding numbers associated with AIDS in Africa are almost beyond comprehension. In Uganda, the Anglican Church is a leading force in the effort to educate people about AIDS and to respond to its scourge. Uganda has a population of some 20 million people, nearly 8 million of whom are Anglicans. Almost 1.5 million people are living with AIDS in that country. There are already 1.7 million AIDS orphans in Uganda. And that is only one country. In Africa, there are already 10 million children orphaned by AIDS, and researchers predict that by the year 2010 the number will grow to 44 million – equal to the total of all the elementary school children living in the United States east of the Mississippi River.
AIDS in Africa has been the subject of previous General Convention resolutions, and more resolutions are not needed. AIDS is Africa's 21st century plague. Medicine, clinics, education and pastoral care are urgently needed, but politics, profits and poverty impede the good work being done by the churches in these countries. Africa desperately needs the continuous attention of our churches, while Americans need to be challenged to act out of our abundance to generate much larger financial contributions.
Resolution A035 Implement Humanitarian Goals in Africa
Resolved, the House of ______
concurring, That the 74th General Convention, in response to widespread humanitarian
needs in Africa, commend those churches in Africa fighting AIDS, poverty and
injustice, and calls on the Episcopal Church at all levels to partner with the
Anglican Churches in Africa and other agencies to implement the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals in Africa; and be it further
Resolved, That this convention commit
$100,000 per year for three years through the Partnership Office for Africa to
support a church-wide campaign to implement humanitarian development goals in
Africa.
Sudan is suffering the longest uninterrupted civil war in the world. The current conflict has persisted for 20 years, but the country has been embroiled in civil war for 36 of the past 47 years since independence in 1956. People all over Sudan are suffering as a consequence.
More than 2 million Sudanese are estimated to have died of causes directly or indirectly linked to war and repressive Sudanese government policies. In addition, according to the best available estimates, more than 300 people die per day in Sudan because of war-related causes. Sudan’s death toll is larger than the combined fatalities in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Somalia and Algeria. Twice as many Sudanese have perished in the past two decades as have perished in all the war-related deaths of Americans in the past 200 years.
The civil war that has raged in Sudan since the country gained independence from Britain is a complicated conflict. It pits a predominantly Arab population in the north against a mostly African population in the south. It involves an Islamic government, backed by the National Islamic Front, which pushes for the radical implementation of Islamic law called Sharia, against the mostly Christian communities in the west and south. But it is even more complicated. In the south there are at least two factions, one of predominantly Dinka tribes seeking reform and the other based in the Nuer tribes which seek full independence.
In our meetings, the Sudanese bishops did not ask for military support or for weapons. They want the world to find a way to stop the war. As Bishop Daniel Deng Bul put it, “I was born in the war, and I am getting old in the war. Many of our children for generations have had no schooling. We are losing our language, our culture, because we have been at war for almost half a century. When is the world going to come and rescue us?”
The 73rd General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2000 adopted Resolution A130: Human Rights: Solidarity with Persecuted Christians in the Sudan. It called on the United States government to assign the highest priority to advancing a just peace in Sudan.
In 2001, the Commission reported to the Executive Council, and the Council adopted a resolution condemning the discrimination against Christians and again calling on the U.S. government to assign the highest priority to advancing a just peace in Sudan.
North-East Asia
Relations among the countries of North-East Asia[1] are delicate, especially between Korea and Japan. The long history of Japanese occupation of Korea and oppression of Korean people is still a source of great pain, but the churches are giving priority to reconciliation. The Koreans speak of the Korean Peninsula, rather than of South and North Korea. The commitment to reunification is very strong and something not widely understood in the United States. The Episcopal Church needs to advocate U.S. policies and practices which foster reconciliation.
The Cold War has not ended. The damage done by President Bush's "axis of evil" rhetoric is extensive and regrettable. The people we met view their neighbors differently. They are realistic about the north and its leaders, but they do not demonize them and do not ordinarily feel threatened by them. Diplomacy is the way to handle ongoing tensions and concerns in North-East Asia. Confrontation, patronizing and demonizing do not solve any existing problems but rather exacerbate them.
Japan is host to 47,000 U.S. troops. The U.S. Seventh Fleet is based at Yokosuka, and the U.S. occupies 75% of Okinawa. For many years the U.S. has exerted pressure on Japan to re-arm, to take a fuller share of responsibility for its own defense, and currently to join more fully in "the war on terrorism." This directly contradicts the Japanese Constitution and its Article 9 "pacifist clause," which limits military power to self-defense. This does not mean that Japan's defense force is small; indeed it is substantial. But the continued pressure exerted by the U.S. diminishes hopes for peace and disarmament and is a source of conflict in Japan.
In Korea, 37,000 U.S. troops in 96 installations join the troops of the Republic of Korea in a standoff with the troops to the North. There are numerous instances of rape and other abuses of Korean citizens by U.S. soldiers. The United States needs to revise the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the Republic of Korea. The Korean people must be able to trust the justice rendered under either U.S. military or Korean courts in cases of abuse by U.S. troops. The current SOFA does not adequately address these injustices.
Economic and social dislocation can be expected if the United States moves to reduce the land used by U.S. military bases and return it to the Korea and Japan peoples. Sectors of society have become dependent on the U.S., for example for jobs. In addition, the land and waters will inevitably be littered with munitions and toxins. The U.S. must commit to safe and complete cleanup.
Signs of Hope
Doors can open which have long been assumed locked forever. Japan and the Republic of Korea co-hosted the World Cup soccer matches in Spring 2002. The flags of both countries were posted on poles in both capital cities. This was astonishing, knowing the history of Korea-Japan relationships. If it can happen once it can happen again.
It is critical that the Episcopal Church remain in dialogue and a working partnership with the Nippon Sei Ko Kai and the Anglican Church of Korea and, whenever possible, to include the China Christian Council. While in Seoul, we participated in the Anglican International Conference for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea and Peace in North-East Asia. This conference inaugurates a closer relationship among partner churches.
Reconciliation has its political difficulties but progress towards it seems to be broader than in the past. Whatever we can do to encourage our national leaders to respect these efforts will be welcomed by our partners in North-East Asia. U.S. policy too often interrupts and destabilizes regional relationships and aspirations. The churches can make a difference in fostering people-to-people diplomacy, in supporting nonviolent peace activism, and in urging citizen action with our own elected leadership in the United States.
SungKongHoe University, the international conference site, is a sign of hope. No other university has a concentration in non-governmental organizations (NGO) studies, preparing new leadership for civil society. SungKongHoe University's program is a commendable example of what a church-related academic institution can accomplish in the ongoing effort to shape a peaceful world.
Resolution A036 Korean Peninsula and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring,
That the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States
of America support the Anglican Church of Korea in its advocacy for the
peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula; and be it further
Resolved, That the Episcopal Church
through its own offices and agencies and by appeal to the United States
Government urge special attention and aid to the relief of humanitarian needs
and development of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea)
including poverty alleviation, food aid, energy development, transportation,
education and protection of human rights and the environment; and be it further
Resolved, That the Church urge the
end of political demonization and militaristic rhetoric toward the Democratic
Peoples Republic of Korea and its leaders in an effort to establish a more
peaceful climate in the community of nations.
Resolution A037 Status of Forces Agreement with Korea
Resolved, the House of _____ concurring,
That the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States
of America urge the United States Government in its renegotiation of the Status
of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the Republic of Korea to give special attention
to:
1. The rights of Korean citizens to equal treatment and legal redress of
grievances and adequate compensation to victims of weapons practice and
testing; pollution of the environment; personal abuse, especially of a violent
or sexual nature; and other deleterious effects of U.S. military presence and
activity; and
2. U.S. accountability for troops’ misconduct and the right of victims to have
U.S. troops tried in local courts, including the right to extradite personnel
who have been removed from the host country; and be it further
Resolved, That the Episcopal Church
urge the U.S. government in all SOFA negotiations to recognize the rights of
local people and assure their access to all mechanisms for redress of their
grievances against U.S. military personnel; and be it further
Resolved, That the eventual goal be
the phasing out of U.S. military bases in Korea.
Resolution A038 Peace and Justice Studies and Training
Resolved, the House of ______ concurring, That the 74th General Convention of the Episcopal Church commend to Episcopal colleges and schools the inclusion in their curriculum of peace and justice studies and education and training for service and careers in non-governmental organizations and civil society.
Colombia and Brazil
Repeatedly discussed during the visit to Columbia was the daily reality of survival in the midst of more than 40 years of conflict between various groups, including the government, the guerilla groups, and para-military groups. The conflict has resulted in the forced acquisition/abandonment of land, displacement of the civilian population (estimated at 1,000 people per day) including women and children, kidnapping, and forced use of child combatants. Of every 100 people displaced, 55 are estimated to be women and children and 65 are under the age of 18. In 2001 over 3,000 people were reported to have been kidnapped.
After worship at the Diocesan Cathedral in Bogota and meeting its congregation, our group proceeded to discussions with non-governmental and governmental agencies. The focus of these agencies was on human rights, displaced persons, criminal and political activity associated with the civil unrest, and the involvement of the United States government through Plan Colombia. Our visit included meeting local Colombian agencies, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the United States Ambassador.
The group then traveled to Quibdo, a city in northwest Colombia, to meet with members of the Church and visit several settlements of displaced people. Colombia is second only to Sudan in the number of internally displaced people in the world. This visit reinforced the human tragedy that is a daily fact of life for the people of Colombia. Bishop Francisco Duque gave the most meaningful description of life for people in the church: “The Episcopal Church in Colombia is living between the cross and the rifle.”
Subsequent to our visit, recommendations were made to, and a resolution passed by Executive Council, recognizing the suffering of the people of Colombia and the efforts of the Episcopal Church in Colombia to make a significant contribution to bringing peace and stability to this country.
The group continued to Brazil, which has the world’s eighth largest economy, yet over 32 million people live on less than $1.00 a day. In our meeting with Brazilian Congressman Dr. Marcos Rolim, the Rt. Rev. Orlando Santos de Oliveira, and the Rt. Rev. Luiz Prado, six items were identified in Brazil’s human rights agenda. These are violence and crime, abandoned/abused children, homes for the elderly, psychiatric care, police violence, and discrimination against minorities (including blacks, indigenous people, homosexuals). The unbalanced concentration of wealth in Brazil creates extreme poverty.
The Episcopal Anglican Church in Brazil is working with the National Movement of Landless/Jobless People. The people of this organization have lost their land and jobs and understand first-hand the social mechanisms that produce injustice and misery. One of the methods being used by this organization, with government support, is progressive land reform. Their activism has set in motion political alternatives to end these inequities. In the visit to the landless/jobless settlements, the SCAIPJC representatives witnessed the integrity and resolve of the people to survive and improve their situation.
As a result of this visit, we commend the Southern Diocese of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Brazil in its support of impoverished, landless, jobless people, and for building ecumenical relationships in the fight for justice. We also commend Brazil manufacture of eight of the 15 drugs used to fight HIV/AIDS.
Goals and Objectives for the Coming Triennium
We recommend that the Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns continue to work on policy recommendations including strategies for common ministry opportunities with the Anglican Communion. Because the world is changing so rapidly, we are reluctant, in January 2003, to suggest priorities for the next triennium. We urge that SCAIPJC continue to use the stated Guidelines established in 1995.
Financial Report
The Standing Commission on Anglican and International Peace with Justice Concerns will meet approximately four times and make three site visits during the next triennium. This will require $20,000 in 2004, $40,000 in 2005 and $12,000 in 2006 for a total of $72,000.