November 22, 2005

CHICAGO – Citing a "recent upsurge in violence," the Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and five other U.S. religious leaders urged members of the U.S. Congress to "co-sponsor and take all necessary action" to pass the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (S. 1462 and H.R. 3127) before Congress adjourns this year.

On Nov. 18 the U.S. Senate approved the bill with unanimous consent. Advocates have now turned their attention to a companion bill, expected to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives when members return from the Thanksgiving break.

Signing a letter this month with Hanson were the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, stated clerk of the general assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Rabbi David Sapperstein, Union for Reform Judaism; the Rev. William G. Sinkford, president, Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations; the Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and president, United Church of Christ; Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president, Disciples of Christ Church; and the Rev. Peter D. Weaver, bishop and president of the Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church.

The religious leaders reminded the members of Congress that in 2004 they declared that the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan, was genocide. Increased violence there – including attacks on innocent civilians, humanitarian aid workers and African Union troops – "provides a bleak reminder that Congress must take more substantive action to adequately address the ongoing crisis," the religious leaders said.

It is a "travesty" for the United States to acknowledge genocide but not support such a declaration with the actions needed to stop it, the letter said. They also said that much of the international community has not responded adequately.

"Just as U.S. leadership was critical earlier this decade in bringing a peace agreement to end the decades-long civil war in southern Sudan, a U.S.-led international campaign in Darfur has the potential finally to bring hope to the long-suffering people of Darfur," the religious leaders wrote. " On the other hand, Without without a global response led by the United States, instability in the region will reach historic proportions, creating a haven for terrorist cells and a state of chronic humanitarian emergencythe conditions for serious health epidemics, to say nothing of starvation and continued violence."

Passage of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act would be a positive step by Congress to stop violence and create stability in Sudan, the religious leaders said. They also noted that congressional action on Darfur has been critical in motivating the Administration to action.

"By naming this crime and then tolerating its continuation and doing nothing to stop it, the United States allows the genocide to continue persist with impunity. You have risen above your predecessors in naming this most serious crime, but your The lack of substantive action by the U.S. calls into question the sincerity of your that proclamation," the religious leaders wrote.

"Let us move forward together, continuing the long tradition of partnership that the religious community and government have in providing humanitarian relief and recognizing the equal value of all life," the letter concluded.

In an interview with the ELCA News Service while attending a conference here, the Rev. Sirisio Oromo, president of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Sudan, praised Hanson for the letter and the ELCA for its support of the proposed legislation and the Sudanese church. Oromo, who concludes an extended stay in the United States next month, said the letter is "very encouraging."

"It is a privilege for the church in Sudan to know that our Lutheran brothers and sisters in America, and in other parts of the world, are part of us," he said.

The proposed legislation is a reminder to Congress that the suffering in Darfur is getting worse, Oromo said. He also encouraged ELCA members to support the people of Sudan through the ELCA, "which has been so supportive of us," he added.

Oromo said he came to the United States earlier this year to thank the people of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Sioux Falls, S.D., for their partnership and support of the Sudanese church, to teach surrounding congregations about the situation there and to develop support for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in South Sudan. Most of the church's congregations are in Uganda, displaced by decades of civil war in Sudan.

Lutherans in United States Urge Approval

With the help of the Lutheran Office for Governmental Affairs (LOGA), the ELCA's federal public policy office, Washington, D.C., members of St. Michael's Lutheran Church, a small inner-city congregation in Philadelphia, wrote this month to their representatives in Congress about the Darfur legislation.

The congregation sent 75 letters to LOGA which were delivered to U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah and U.S. Rep. Allison Schwartz, said Dorothy Marple, a member of the congregation's advocacy team.

"On the basis of our faith, we have a responsibility to work for ending the violence there," she said in an interview. The congregation has been active in Bread for the World's annual offering of letters to Congress supporting efforts to end world hunger and poverty, Marple said. Bread for the World, Washington, D.C., is an organization supported by more than 45 Christian denominations and church-related agencies that addresses hunger in the United States and around the world. The ELCA is a partner church with Bread for the World.

In addition St. Michael's has sponsored five of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," for the past four to five years, she said. Three of the boys are in college and two are working. "We've grown with them," she said.

Marple explained that the congregation's advocacy team distributed two simple handouts which were given to members, and members signed the letters. Marple encouraged ELCA members to join the ELCA advocacy network so they can be aware of what's happening in Congress.

Marple added that she hopes the congregation will ask the synod to adopt social justice initiatives so that other congregations can get involved in issues similar to the Darfur legislation.

ELCA News Service