Puerto Rican bishop decries resumed bombing on Vieques
6/19/2001 News media contact: Linda Bloom · (646) 369-3759 · New York
NOTE: A photograph of Bishop Juan Vera Mendez is available.
By United Methodist News Service
The Methodist bishop of Puerto Rico joined other religious representatives on the island of Vieques June 18 to express dismay over the resumption of U.S. Navy bombing practice there.
In an e-mail message to United Methodist News Service, Bishop Juan Vera Mendez noted that the planned 18 days of military maneuvers began as scheduled, even though about 30 protesters entered the restricted area of the Navy's Camp Garcia as an act of disobedience. The Methodist Church of Puerto Rico supports an immediate end to all Navy activities on the island.
The bishop said a law prohibits bombing practice when turtles or certain other marine life are detected in the restricted area, "but having been informed of the presence of human beings, they continued the bombardments."
The new military exercises started just a few days after the White House released President Bush's compromise plan to end all military exercises on Vieques by May 2003. The plan received criticism both from those who want an immediate withdrawal by the Navy and those who believe the plan could harm U.S. military readiness.
Declaring that "the Bush announcement created a lot of confusion," the Rev. German Acevedo-Delgado pointed out that the 2003 date was not a new development. An executive with the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, Acevedo has participated in a number of demonstrations on Vieques. Other board staff and directors also have visited the island in a show of support for the residents.
A plan previously adopted by the Clinton administration and approved by Congress established a November referendum in which the 9,400 residents of Vieques could vote either for the Navy to leave by May 2003 or for the Navy to its presence on the island.
United Methodist Bishop Charlene Kammerer of Charlotte, N.C., said she was "surprised and pleased with the possibility that President Bush has apparently decided to end the Navy occupation there." Kammerer was part of a United Methodist Council of Bishops delegation to Vieques two years ago.
But Kammerer added that she supports the third option of a July 29 referendum that the Puerto Rican government will place before the citizens of Vieques. That option calls for the Navy's immediate withdrawal.
"It is clear to me that is what (Puerto Rican) people want," she said. "Any move toward a faster solution to the end of the Navy presence there I think would be very welcome."
A June 19 statement from the United Methodist Board of Church and Society commended "the president's statement expressing his desire to end the Navy's military presence on the island of Vieques" but expressed disappointment that the bombing would continue until 2003.
The agency noted that the controversy over Vieques did not begin when one of its civilians, David Sanez, was accidentally killed during a military exercise in 1999. "The Navy has been using the island of Vieques for target practices for over 60 years, to the detriment of the life and well-being of the people of the island," the Church and Society statement said. "The United Methodist Church has supported the claims of the people of Vieques since 1980."
On the denominational level, both the United Methodist Church and the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico support the termination of all military activities on Vieques and the return of the land to the people. At its June 7-10 annual conference - just before the Bush announcement - the Puerto Rican church reaffirmed the call for an immediate cessation of all military exercises and the removal of the Navy from Vieques.
The resolution, titled "Unconditional Solidarity on Peace for Vieques," also affirmed "the right of the people of Vieques to live in peace, with health and harmony as it strives to reach its full development as a society." It pledged "unconditional support and solidarity" with church leaders in the cause for peace on Vieques.
The conference met on the island in Isabel II to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Samuel Culpeper Methodist Church. As the meeting ended that Saturday, participants held a brief worship service at the "Justice and Peace Camp," an ecumenical facility in front the entrance to the Navy base where the target range is located. They also joined with community members in a demonstration against the Navy presence.
As military activities resumed on June 18, Jackie Jackson, the wife of the Rev. Jesse Jackson, was arrested for trespassing in a restricted area. Vera said the arrest provided another element of hope.
"This is an important coming together in solidarity of people of color in the United States," he explained, adding that such a coalition could spill over into other justice issues. "We hope that this extraordinary alliance will continue to grow."
Another well-known African American, the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, is serving a 90-day sentence in federal jail in Brooklyn after being convicted of trespassing on the Navy range in May.
"People in Vieques were grateful" for the media attention Sharpton generated about the situation in Vieques, Acevedo said. The Global Ministries executive was surprised by the severity of Sharpton's sentence, but added, "If it was supposed to be a deterrent, it didn't work."
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