[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 160 (Wednesday, December 14, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H11612-H11618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   REMEMBERING AND COMMEMORATING THE LIVES AND WORK OF UNITED STATES 
              CHURCHWOMEN EXECUTED IN EL SALVADOR IN 1980

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 458) remembering and commemorating the 
lives and work of Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline 
Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean 
Donovan, who were executed by members of the armed forces of El 
Salvador on December 2, 1980, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

[[Page H11613]]

                              H. Res. 458

       Whereas on December 2, 1980, four United States 
     churchwomen, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, 
     Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team 
     Member Jean Donovan, were violated and executed by members of 
     the National Guard of El Salvador;
       Whereas in 1980 Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford 
     were working in the parish of the Church of San Juan Bautista 
     in Chalatenango, El Salvador, providing food, transportation, 
     and other assistance to refugees and Ursuline Sister Dorothy 
     Kazel and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member Jean Donovan were 
     working in the parish of the Church of the Immaculate 
     Conception in La Libertad, El Salvador, providing assistance 
     and support to refugees and other victims of violence;
       Whereas these four United States churchwomen dedicated 
     their lives to working with the poor of El Salvador, 
     especially women and children left homeless, displaced and 
     destitute by the Salvadoran war;
       Whereas these four United States churchwomen joined the 
     more than 70,000 civilians who were murdered during the 
     course of the Salvadoran war;
       Whereas on May 23 and May 24, 1984, five members of the 
     National Guard of El Salvador--Subsergeant Luis Antonio 
     Colindres Aleman, Daniel Canales Ramirez, Carlos Joaquin 
     Contreras Palacios, Francisco Orlando Contreras Recinos, and 
     Jose Roberto Moreno Canjura--were found guilty by the 
     Salvadoran courts of the executions of the churchwomen and 
     were sentenced to thirty years in prison, marking the first 
     case in the history of El Salvador where a member of the 
     Salvadoran Armed Forces was convicted of murder by a 
     Salvadoran judge;
       Whereas the United Nations Commission on the Truth for El 
     Salvador was established under the terms of the historic 
     January 1992 Peace Accords that ended El Salvador's twelve 
     years of war and was charged to investigate and report to the 
     Salvadoran people on human rights crimes committed by all 
     sides during the course of the war;
       Whereas in March 1993 the United Nations Commission on the 
     Truth for El Salvador found that the execution of the four 
     United States churchwomen was planned and that Subsergeant 
     Luis Antonio Colindres Aleman carried out orders from a 
     superior to execute them, and that then Colonel Carlos 
     Eugenio Vides Casanova, then Director-General of the National 
     Guard and his cousin Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Edgardo 
     Casanova Vejar, then Commander of the Zacatecoluca military 
     detachment where the murders were committed, and other 
     military personnel knew that members of the National Guard 
     had committed the murders pursuant to orders of a superior 
     and that the subsequent cover-up of the facts adversely 
     affected the judicial investigation into the murders of the 
     four United States churchwomen;
       Whereas the United Nations Commission on the Truth for El 
     Salvador determined that General Jose Guillermo Garcia, then 
     Minister of Defense, made no serious effort to conduct a 
     thorough investigation of responsibility for the murders of 
     the churchwomen;
       Whereas the families of the four United States churchwomen 
     continue their efforts to determine the full truth 
     surrounding the murders of their loved ones, appreciate the 
     cooperation of United States Government agencies in 
     disclosing and providing documents relevant to the 
     churchwomen's murders, and pursue requests to release to the 
     family members the few remaining undisclosed documents and 
     reports pertaining to this case;
       Whereas the families of the four United States churchwomen 
     appreciate the ability of those harmed by violence to bring 
     suit against Salvadoran military officers in United States 
     courts under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991 (28 
     U.S.C. 1350 note);
       Whereas the lives of these four United States churchwomen 
     have, for the past 25 years, served as inspiration and 
     continue to inspire Salvadorans, Americans, and people 
     throughout the world to answer the call to service and to 
     pursue lives dedicated to addressing the needs and 
     aspirations of the poor, the vulnerable, and the 
     disadvantaged, especially among women and children;
       Whereas the lives of the four United States churchwomen 
     have also inspired numerous books, plays, films, music, 
     religious, and cultural events;
       Whereas schools, libraries, research centers, spiritual 
     centers, health clinics, women's and children's programs in 
     the United States and in El Salvador have been named after or 
     dedicated to Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford and Dorothy Kazel 
     and lay missionary Jean Donovan;
       Whereas the Maryknoll Sisters, headquartered in Ossining, 
     New York, the Ursuline Sisters, headquartered in Cleveland, 
     Ohio, numerous Religious Task Forces in the United States, 
     and the Salvadoran and international religious communities 
     based in El Salvador annually commemorate the lives and 
     martyrdom of the four United States churchwomen;
       Whereas the historic January 1992 Peace Accords allowed the 
     Government and the people of El Salvador to achieve 
     significant progress in creating and strengthening democratic 
     political, economic, and social institutions; and
       Whereas December 2, 2005, marks the 25th anniversary of the 
     deaths of these four spiritual, courageous, and generous 
     United States churchwomen: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) remembers and commemorates the lives and work of 
     Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel and lay 
     missionary Jean Donovan;
       (2) extends sympathy and support for the families, friends, 
     and religious communities of the four United States 
     churchwomen;
       (3) continues to find inspiration in the lives and work of 
     these four United States churchwomen;
       (4) calls upon the people of the United States and 
     religious congregations to participate in local, national, 
     and international events commemorating the 25th anniversary 
     of the martyrdom of the four United States churchwomen;
       (5) recognizes that while progress has been made during the 
     post-war period, the work begun by the four United States 
     churchwomen remains unfinished and social and economic 
     hardships persist among many sectors of Salvadoran society; 
     and
       (6) calls upon the President, the Secretary of State, the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, and the heads of other United States Government 
     departments and agencies to continue to support and 
     collaborate with the Government of El Salvador and with 
     private sector, nongovernmental, and religious organizations 
     in their efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and to promote 
     educational opportunity, health care, and social equity for 
     the people of El Salvador.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Burton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on December 2, 1980, 25 years ago this month, four 
American church women were murdered in El Salvador by members of the El 
Salvadoran military. In 1984, five national guardsmen were tried, 
convicted and sent to prison for these murders.
  On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of their deaths, the 
resolution before us commemorates the lives and work of the Maryknoll 
Sisters, Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and 
lay missionary Jean Donovan. It extends our most profound sympathy and 
support to the families, friends and religious communities of these 
four women. It encourages us to find inspiration in their lives and 
work and calls upon the American people and religious congregations to 
participate in local, national and international events marking the 
25th anniversary of their deaths.
  The resolution also recognizes that progress has been made in El 
Salvador following the war, but reminds us that the work of these 
missionaries on behalf of the poor remains unfinished. Therefore, it 
calls on us as a Congress to engage ourselves and relevant U.S. 
agencies to continue to support and collaborate with the Salvadoran 
government and other private nonprofit and religious groups working to 
reduce poverty and hunger in El Salvador and to promote educational 
opportunity, health care and social equity.
  I would like to commend Mr. McGovern for bringing this resolution to 
the floor. It is a fitting tribute to four inspiring American church 
women who worked on behalf of some of the poorest Salvadorans, 
including refugees and children left homeless during El Salvador's 
internal struggles. I think we could all learn a lesson from the events 
of 25 years ago and work even harder to ensure that democracy remains 
strong in Central America and elsewhere so that such events can never 
be repeated. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of this important resolution. Mr. Speaker, 
El Salvador has progressed much since the 1980s when a horrific civil 
war tore through the country, consuming some 75,000 lives.

[[Page H11614]]

  In the last decade, the country has held numerous free and fair 
elections. Power was transferred peacefully from one political party to 
another, and the military has withdrawn from the political and economic 
affairs of the country and returned to its barracks.
  Standards of living have also improved. According to the World Bank, 
fewer infants are dying at birth; more children are attending primary 
school; and more families have access to safe drinking water today than 
they did 10 years ago.
  El Salvador has also become one of our most trusted and unwavering 
allies and has taken principled and brave stances on such issues as 
Iraq and the defense of Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, despite these extraordinary accomplishments, El 
Salvador, like many post-conflict countries, still struggles with a 
host of social, economic and environmental problems.
  Public investments in health, education, sanitation and other social 
programs are low. As a consequence, the health of the population is 
generally poorer than that of most of El Salvador's regional neighbors. 
Also, violence, much of it gang related, is crippling El Salvadoran 
society. And El Salvador's preparedness to respond and mitigate natural 
disasters remains lacking.
  Today's resolution reminds us to draw strength and inspiration from 
the lives of four admirable women who were killed for dedicating their 
lives to trying to bring hope to those who are desperately poor in El 
Salvador.
  Working together with our El Salvadoran friends, I am confident that 
we can overcome the remaining challenges that confront them and 
strengthen the already close ties that bind our two great nations.
  Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us today takes another step 
towards fortifying these bonds. I want to applaud my friend and 
colleague, Chairman Hyde, for expediting this body's consideration of 
the resolution, and I commend the efforts of the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) for authoring it.
  I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support H. Res. 458.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he might consume to the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the author of this 
legislation.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my gratitude and 
appreciation to the leadership on both sides of the aisle for bringing 
this resolution to the House floor before we adjourn for the year. I 
especially want to thank Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman 
Burton, Subcommittee Ranking Member Menendez, House International 
Relations Committee Chairman Hyde, Ranking Member Lantos, Majority 
Leader Blunt, Democratic Leader Pelosi, Speaker Hastert, Rules 
Committee Chairman Dreier and all of their staffs.
  Mr. Speaker, on December 2, 1980, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clark and 
Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and Cleveland lay missionary 
Jean Donovan were brutally violated and murdered by members of the 
Salvadoran national guard. The guardsmen who pulled the triggers and 
their immediate superior, a sub-sergeant, were tried, convicted and 
imprisoned in 1984 for these heinous crimes, although they were later 
released in 1997 and 1998. But I am not here today to recall these 
tragic events. I am here to remember and honor their lives.
  These four courageous American women dedicated their lives to the 
safety and welfare of others, to the poor and the desperate of El 
Salvador, especially the women and children left homeless and destitute 
by the violence and the war of that era. It is the way that they lived 
their lives and the work that they carried out that has proven to be so 
inspirational to so many people in the 25 years since their death and 
especially the young people who are looking for role models, both 
secular and spiritual, to guide their own futures.
  I had the privilege to spend December 1 through December 6 in El 
Salvador and to participate in the many 25th anniversary events 
organized by the Maryknoll Sisters and other Salvadoran and American 
religious leaders honoring the lives of these four wonderful women. I 
was a member of a delegation coordinated by the Washington office on 
Latin America and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. 
Our delegation joined over 200 other Americans and an equal number of 
religious representatives from throughout Central and South America and 
elsewhere. During our 5 days in El Salvador, we walked in the footsteps 
of these women. We visited small rural communities where they lived and 
worked. We met with the campesinos, the priests and the sisters with 
whom they labored. We attended mass, and we worshipped at the site 
where their bodies were found.

                              {time}  2145

  And we listened to the members of their families and their religious 
orders tell stories of their lost loved ones that brought these women 
vividly and joyously to life for all of us.
  While it was a time of sorrow and remembered grief, it was also a 
time of celebration, for these four American women are remembered with 
great love and affection by the Salvadoran people and by so many 
Americans across our country. Their spirits burn bright and have served 
to inspire many others, including young people, to lives of service. 
Who now remembers those who brutalized and murdered them, unless it is 
with a shudder?
  Several 25th anniversary events were held here in the United States 
during the December 2 weekend in cities as diverse as Kansas City, 
Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Across our country 
we will also find community centers, neighborhood health clinics, and 
groups that provide counseling for young women and mothers dedicated to 
these four women. We will find libraries, schools, and scholarly 
centers named in their honor and books, films, plays and music created 
to celebrate their lives.
  In El Salvador, throughout Latin America, and even around the world, 
it is common to come across communities and humanitarian projects named 
after Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel.
  I have been very privileged to get to know some of the family members 
of these women, and I have long been a friend of the Maryknoll Sisters. 
A finer group of people one simply cannot find. It is for them, the 
families, friends, and colleagues of these four church women that I am 
proud the House is acting on this special remembrance of their loved 
ones who have been lost to them these past 25 years but who always 
remain, as they say in Spanish, ``presente'' in their hearts, minds, 
and souls.
  I believe these four American women represent the very best our 
country has to offer. They represent the best values and ideals, not 
only of the American people but of all people. My recent time in El 
Salvador inspired me. It reenergized me. It reminded me that we must 
remain committed to continuing the church women's legacy by helping the 
poor and disadvantaged of El Salvador develop their communities and 
create a more hopeful future for all.
  I urge my colleagues to approve of H. Res. 458 and to remember the 
very special lives dedicated to service of Maura Clarke, Jean Donovan, 
Ita Ford, and Dorothy Kazel.

Statement on the 25th Anniversary of the Four Missionary Women--Bishop 
   Thomas G. Wenski, Bishop of Orlando, Chairman, USCCB Committee on 
                International Policy, November 21, 2005.

       Twenty-five years ago, many throughout the world were 
     shocked by the news of the abduction, rape and murder on 
     December 2nd 1980 of four American missionary women in El 
     Salvador. That same year saw the intensification of the civil 
     war in that country that was dramatically marked first by the 
     assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero on March 24th and, 
     nearly a decade later, by the slaughter of six Jesuit priests 
     and their two aides at the Central American University on 
     December 16th 1989.
       There can be little doubt that the sacrificial deaths--the 
     martyrdoms--of these exemplary Christians, representing the 
     episcopate, the life of vowed religious men and women, and 
     the Catholic laity. Nor is there doubt that the findings of 
     those guilty for these crimes served to hasten the end of 
     that fratricidal war that was finally concluded with the 
     January 1992 Peace Accords.
       Sister Maura Clarke, MM, Sister Ita Ford, MM, both of the 
     Maryknoll Sisters, Sister Dorothy Kazel, OSU of the Sisters 
     of St. Ursula, and lay missionary Jean Donovan of the 
     Cleveland Diocesan Mission team were all young, dynamic, 
     deeply committed missionaries. They saw the face of Christ in 
     the poorest and most vulnerable of the people of El Salvador 
     and sought to offer what aid and consolation they could 
     provide. In the poisonous political atmosphere of the time, 
     their concern for ``the least of these'' was seen by some as 
     a challenge to an unjust status quo.

[[Page H11615]]

       May we today rededicate ourselves, together with the 
     bishops and faithful of El Salvador and all of Central 
     America, to the task of peace, justice and reconciliation 
     throughout the Americas for which these exemplary women gave 
     their lives.
                                  ____

                                                 December 7, 2005.
     To: Hon. Dennis Hastert, Speaker.
     Hon. Roy Blunt, Majority Leader.
     Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader.
       Dear Representatives Hastert, Blunt, and Pelosi: As people 
     of faith and leaders of our Nation's religious communities, 
     we write to urge you to move H. Res. 458 expeditiously to the 
     House floor for consideration under suspension before the 
     109th Congress adjourns for the year. The resolution, which 
     currently has 88 bipartisan cosponsors, was approved 
     unanimously by the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and 
     unanimously by the House International Relations Committee. 
     It was reported out of the HIRC on November 16, with 
     recommendations that it be placed on the suspension calendar.
       H. Res. 458 remembers and commemorates the lives and work 
     of Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline 
     Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Lay Mission Team Member 
     Jean Donovan, who were executed by members of the armed 
     forces of El Salvador on December 2, 1980.
       Through their dedicated witness and untimely deaths in El 
     Salvador, these four women remind us of the powerful gifts of 
     humility, community and faith.
       During the early years of El Salvador's tragic civil war, 
     in which over 70,000 civilians eventually lost their lives, 
     Maura Clarke and Ita Ford worked in Chalatenango, providing 
     food, transportation, and other assistance to refugees; 
     Dorothy Kazel and Jean Donovan worked in La Libertad, 
     providing assistance and support to refugees and other 
     victims of violence.
       Based on their commitment to Jesus' call to service in the 
     gospel, these four U.S. churchwomen dedicated their lives to 
     working with the impoverished people of El Salvador, 
     especially women and children left homeless, displaced and 
     destitute by the civil war.
       Now, 25 years after their kidnapping, rape and murder at 
     the hands of Salvadoran National Guardsmen, it is fitting for 
     Congress to recognize the women and their sacrifice and how 
     their example has inspired so many others to answer the call 
     to service. We strongly encourage your support of H. Res. 
     458, and again urge you to make every effort to move this 
     resolution through the International Relations Committee in a 
     timely fashion.
           Sincerely,
       Congregational Leadership Team, Maryknoll Sisters of St. 
     Dominic.
       General Council, Maryknoll, Fathers & Brothers.
       Leadership Team, Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland.
       Leadership Team, Maryknoll Lay Missioners.
       Leadership Conference of Women, Religious (LCWR).
       Rita Ann Teichman, SSI, Region VII, Leadership Conf. of 
     Women Religious.
       Raya Hanlon, OP, Chair Region XIV, Leadership Conf. of 
     Women Religious.
       Rev. T. Michael McNulty, SJ, Justice and Peace Director, 
     Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM).
       Rev. Charles L. Currie, S.J., President, Association of 
     Jesuit Colleges and Universities.
       Rev. James Hug, S.J., President, Center of Concern.
       Dave Robinson, Exec. Director, Pax Christi USA.
       Rev. Louis Lougen, Provincial, Missionary Oblates of Mary 
     Immaculate.
       Sister Janet Yurkanin, IHM, Director, Migration and Refugee 
     Services Diocese of Trenton, NJ.
       Franciscan Mission Service.
       NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby.
       Office of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation, Columban 
     Missionaries.
       Leadership Team of the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of 
     the Americas.
       Institute Justice Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the 
     Americas.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Vermont Regional 
     Leadership Team.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Cincinnati Regional 
     Leadership Team.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Auburn Regional 
     Community.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Burlingame Regional 
     Leadership Team.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Baltimore Regional 
     Community.
       Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Detroit Regional 
     Leadership Team.
       Karen M. Donahue, RSM, Justice Coordinator, Sisters of 
     Mercy Regional Community of Detroit.
       Benedictine Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Lisle, IL.
       Benedictines for Peace in Pittsburgh.
       Benedictine Sisters, Mt. Angel, OR.
       Benedictine Sisters of Chicago.
       Sisters of St. Benedict, Rock Island, Illinois.
       Sister Christine Vladimiroff, Prioress Benedictine Sisters 
     of Erie, PA.
       Sister Merle Nolde, OSB, Benedictine Sisters.
       Dominican Sisters of Oxford, Leadership Team, Sister 
     Teresita Lipar, OP, Prioress, Sister Susan McMahon, OP, 
     Vicaress, Sister Gene Poore, OP, Councilor.
       Adrian Dominican Sisters, Global Mission, Justice and 
     Peace, Adrian Dominican Sisters, Midwest Chapter.
       Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, Kenosha, 
     Wisconsin.
       Leadership Team, Tacoma, Dominican Community, Sister Sharon 
     Casey, Sister Patricia Morisset, Sister Mary Patricia Murphy.
       Congregation Justice Committee, Sisters of the Holy Cross, 
     Notre Dame, Indiana.
       Ann Oestreich IHM, Congregation Justice Coordinator, 
     Sisters of the Holy Cross.
       Office of Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation, School 
     Sisters of Notre Dame, Mankato, MN.
       School Sisters of Notre Dame, Office of Global Justice & 
     Peace.
       Sisters of the Living Word, Leadership Team.
       Catherine M. Holtkamp, CDP, Director, Office of Peace & 
     Justice, Congregation of Sisters of Divine Providence of 
     Kentucky.
       Sister Anne Shepard, Prioress, Mount St. Scholastica, 
     Atchison, KS.
       Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Oregon 
     Province.
       Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange.
       Sister Mary Quinn, President, Sisters of St. Joseph of 
     Springfield.
       Leadership Team, Sisters of St. Joseph, Nazareth, MI.
       Sister Patricia Kelly, SSJ, President, Sisters of Saint 
     Joseph, Philadelphia.
       Sister Kathleen Coll, SSJ, Coordinator, Sisters of Saint 
     Joseph, Philadelphia.
       Sister Ricarda Vincent, SSJ, President, Sisters of St. 
     Joseph, Northwestern Pennsylvania, Sister Rosemarie Lorenz, 
     SSJ.
       Sister Maureen P. Kelly, SSJ, Sister Barbara L. Reuben, 
     SSJ, Sister Dorothy Winner, SSJ, Sister Linda M. Larsen, SSJ, 
     Sister Mary Jane Daily, SSJ, Sisters of St. Joseph.
       Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, Our Lady Province.
       Sister Joellen Sbrissa, CSJ, Office of Peace, Justice and 
     Integrity of Creation.
       Sisters of St. Joseph of La Grange, IL and Wheeling, WV.
       Sister Kathleen Lucs, CSJ, Sisters of St. Joseph, of La 
     Grange.
       Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, Los Angeles Province.
       Rosemary Lynch, IBVM, Provincial, Institute of the Blessed 
     Virgin Mary.
       Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin 
     Mary.
       Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes.
       Sisters of the Presentation, San Francisco.
       Sisters of St. Francis, Sylvania, Ohio.
       Sisters of St. Francis, Little Falls, MN.
       Leadership Team of the Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, 
     Iowa.
       Leadership Team, Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross.
       Leadership Council of the Wheaton, IL Franciscans.
       Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office, Wheaton, IL 
     Franciscans.
       Sisters of St. Francis, Millvale, PA.
       Sister Betty Kane, OSF, Director, Evangelical Life 
     Services, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia.
       Sister Nancy Celaschi, OSF, School Sisters of St. Francis, 
     Pittsburgh.
       Sister Virginia Welsh, OSF, Community Minister, Sisters of 
     St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio.
       Sister Mary Elizabeth Imler, General Community Leader, 
     Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Frankfort, Illinois.
       U.S. Provincial Team, School, Sisters of St. Francis, 
     Sister Barbara Kraemer, OSF, Sister Elizabeth Heese, OSF, 
     Sister Maureen McCarthy, OSF.
       Sister Dominica Lo Bianco, OSF, Our Lady of Angels Convent, 
     Aston, PA.
       International Team, School Sisters of St. Francis.
       Sister Janet Gardner, OSF, General Minister, Sisters of St. 
     Francis of the Providence of God, Pittsburgh PA.
       Sister Rose Marie Surwilo, OSF, Sisters of St. Francis of 
     Mary Immaculate, Joliet, IL.
       Daughters of Charity of the East Central Province 
     Leadership Team.
       Sister Irene Fortier DHS, Justice Coordinator for Province, 
     Daughters of the Holy Spirit.
       Sister Mary Jo Anderson, CHS, General Coordinator, 
     Community of the Holy Spirit.
       Sister Margaret O'Rourke, dmj, Social Justice Coordinator, 
     Daughters of Mary and Joseph, Long Beach, CA.
       Leadership Team, Servants of Mary, Ladysmith, WI.
       Sister Louise Akers, SC, Sisters of Charity.
       Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, 
     Iowa.
       Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, Congregational Leadership.
       Sisters of Divine Providence of San Antonio, TX.
       Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, New York Area 
     Peace and Justice Group.
       Sister Regina E. Flanigan, IHM, Sisters Servants of the 
     Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata, PA.
       The Leadership Council Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate 
     Heart of Mary, Monroe, Michigan.
       Sister Susan Hadzima, IHM.
       Sisters of the Holy Names, California Province.
       The Provincial Leadership, Sisters of the Divine Savior--
     USA Province.
       Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus & Mary, Oakland, CA.
       Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union, Eastern Province.
       Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation, 
     Ursuline Sisters of the Roman Union, Eastern Province.
       Sister Joy Peterson, Leadership Team Srs. of the 
     Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dubuque, Iowa.

[[Page H11616]]

       Sister Imelda Gonzalez, cdp, Congregation of Divine, 
     Providence.
       Sister Gertrude Myrick, RSM, Sisters of Mercy.
       Sister Florence Magnan, CSA, Congregation of Sisters of St. 
     Agnes.
       Sister Mary Doretta Cornell, RDC, Sisters of the Divine 
     Compassion.
       Sister Eileen White, GNSH, Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart.
       Prof. Rowshan Nemazee, Department of Religious Studies, 
     McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
       Susan Fitzpatrick.
                                  ____


 Solidarity for the 21st Century Remembering the Martyrs of El Salvador

       We are here to honor the memory of four women martyred 25 
     years ago and of 75,000 others, including Archbishop Romero, 
     who gave their lives for social justice and for human 
     dignity. When corpses were piled high in the public garbage 
     dumps outside this city--when bishops, generals, the nuncio 
     and government officials demanded neutrality from the 
     Church--these four chose to accompany a people made 
     profoundly vulnerable by war and by repression. They lived 
     the virtue of solidarity, not neutrality. Poor people, they 
     believed, were one place of God's revelation in history--an 
     opening where the God of hope and possibility was discovered 
     in the midst of suffering and fear.
       When they were killed, for people of faith in the United 
     States and elsewhere in the North, they put a familiar, human 
     face on the thousands of Salvadoran lay people, religious and 
     priests who also were martyred here in those years and they 
     gave great energy to a whole movement learning to act in 
     solidarity with the people of Central America.
       Solidarity--not (according to Joe Donders) a feeling of 
     vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of 
     others, but a firm and persevering determination to commit 
     oneself to the common good.
       Maura, Ita, Dorothy and Jean lived a solidarity that, even 
     in these very different times would serve us. The Maryknoll 
     Sisters, in the reflection paper they prepared for this 
     conversation, described solidarity as a posture that is 
     rooted in the identity of each person as a creature of God, a 
     creature endowed with immense dignity, a treasure--who is 
     created for interdependence within our human and earth 
     community. They called us to a spirituality of family 
     solidarity, which sets us free to transform our broken world.
       In Like Grains of Wheat, Margie Swedish and I describe 
     solidarity as the practice of accompanying people and the 
     rest of creation marginalized by institutionalized violence, 
     and of engaging in a process of social, economic and 
     environmental transformation that is rooted in right 
     relationships. We talked about a spirituality of solidarity 
     shaped by a process that included several steps or stages:
       Moving across boundaries to see with new eyes the reality 
     of the world in which we live.
       Having our hearts broken by the injustice we see, by 
     ecological destruction--and broken open by new relationships
       Finding life and joy and faithfulness at the margins, even 
     in the midst of great suffering
       Going home, reinserting in our own society as people who 
     were changed, challenged--and are there committed to 
     challenging the status quo
       Becoming people of hope who believe that a better world is 
     possible--and making or renewing a commitment to work for 
     that better world.
       These are times very different from the ``era of the 
     martyrs in El Salvador, Latin America.'' These are times 
     defined by globalization with that phenomenon implies; by 
     excessive wealth concentrated in the hands of a small 
     minority in almost every country of the world and 
     intransigent poverty lived by a global majority; by 
     increasingly evident ecological catastrophy; and by a growing 
     awareness of the intrinsic interconnectedness of humans with 
     each other and with the rest of creation.
       What might solidarity look like now and toward what might 
     such a process lead us? That is the question we will all 
     reflect upon this afternoon, but let me offer a few examples 
     around the theme of security, which is becoming the 
     ``communist threat'' of the 21st century.
       Three months ago we watched a painful drama unfold in New 
     Orleans that brought to the surface deep frustration and 
     anger--and spectacular beauty. Immediately, there arose 
     across the country--around the world--a gut level sense that 
     life was precious and that everyone had a right to a 
     dignified rescue from that dreadful situation. When it became 
     evident that some people were much more vulnerable to the 
     ravages of nature than others--that poverty (with its roots 
     in racism) was the determining factor in how one fared, 
     people across the country--around the world--were outraged.
       Four years earlier, in the midst of the horrific aftermath 
     of the terrorist attacks in the U.S., the same intuition was 
     evident--to honor the sacredness of every life, to save 
     lives--every life possible. Period. Nothing else mattered--
     color of skin, language spoken, legal status in the U.S., 
     level of income. Everyone asked immediately how they could 
     help.
       We saw with new eyes and our hearts were broken--the 
     beginning of solidarity.
       Deep in the human heart, I believe, is an indelible sense 
     of the value of each human life and an instinct for 
     solidarity that accompanies, responds to, needs to shape our 
     conversation around a topic that is too often manipulated for 
     political gain or ideological reasons, yet will be central in 
     many ways to the future of the human community and the 
     integrity of creation.
       According to Franciscan theologian Bryan Massingale, 
     ``Security in the biblical worldview is an outcome of 
     pursuing [a] more comprehensive vision of shalom. When shalom 
     is established through the pursuit of justice, then true 
     security is found . . . Security is a state of being that 
     flows from the inclusion of all in the bounty of the earth.'' 
     Inclusive human security, as opposed to national security or 
     personal financial security, guarantees access to food, clean 
     water, healthcare, education and employment for all. It 
     recognizes the right of people to deep democracy--to 
     participate in important political, economic and 
     environmental decisions that affect their lives and it 
     respects the integrity of creation.
       This kind of security--inclusive human security--would 
     emerge from a ``globalization of solidarity,'' international 
     cooperation to meet the basic needs of all people in a manner 
     that nurtures right relationships within the community of all 
     life--human and beyond.
       The experience of solidarity between U.S. people and the 
     people of Central America in the 1970s and 80s and 90s taught 
     us about interdependence and about security rooted in 
     transnational community. That rich and deep experience of 
     solidarity exposed the lie that the security of a wealthy and 
     powerful few is threatened by the majority's desire for and 
     right to a dignified life. In fact, we learned what the poor 
     of Central America already knew--that the security--the very 
     survival--of the majority of people and of the earth herself 
     is profoundly threatened by the desire of the wealthy and 
     powerful to maintain wasteful and destructive lifestyles.
       It is clear now that true, inclusive security has to be 
     rooted in global community--in the globalization of 
     solidarity.
       At issue is how we define security, from whose perspective 
     and through what lens.
       And it seems to me that the global groaning we are now 
     experiencing is about shifting (especially in the global 
     North) from one definition to the other:
       . . . from pursuing security by building higher walls and 
     stronger fences, hiring fiercer guards, inventing more 
     powerful weapons systems, or dominating the global economy
       . . . to pursuing security through the adoption of a new--
     or perhaps a very old--cosmovision that sees and values the 
     whole community of life--and through collaborative attention 
     to ensuring that the basic needs of all human beings 
     everywhere are met. I believe that the role of the Church--of 
     faith communities and of educational institutions is key in 
     facilitating such a shift.
       Religious leaders, pastors, educators and the media have to 
     help us--
       Grapple with our own fear and insecurity, enabling us to 
     live with vulnerability--even see it as necessary for 
     faithful living in solidarity with the majority of people who 
     are always vulnerable;
       Rework our value system from the ground up--reclaiming the 
     positive (exhibited on 9/11 and in response to recent 
     hurricanes) and eliminating rather than orchestrating the 
     violent and destructive;
       Reset our priorities from the accumulation of power, wealth 
     and consumer goods to nurturing right relationships with 
     other people and the rest of creation;
       Move from individualism to emphasize community--ultimately 
     the global community;
       Learn to be present, to listen, to wait--to relinquish our 
     need for instant gratification;
       Develop our skills for social, political and economic 
     analysis and historical consciousness that might help us move 
     beyond sound bytes to understand root causes;
       Deal with our collective fear of aging and death; and
       Reexamine our symbols and myths to strip them of their 
     ability to isolate and blind us--helping us as a people to 
     rethink our way of being in the world, our relationship with 
     the rest of creation.
       ``Unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it 
     remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit.'' (John 
     12:23-26)
       Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies . . . the last 
     words of Archbishop Oscar Romero were about the price of 
     liberation--the cost of global solidarity, of inclusive human 
     security. His witness and that of Ita, Maura, Dorothy and 
     Jean can give us courage to move in that direction--courage 
     to birth a solidarity fitting for the intensely integrated 
     and bitterly divided world of the 21st century.
       Let me end with a little story:
       In 1986, with about 20 other internationals, I accompanied 
     a group of about 500 Salvadorans back to their own land near 
     Suchitoto, which was then still under intense conflict. Many 
     of them had been living at Calle Real refugee camp in San 
     Salvador for 7 years and they were bone tired of being unable 
     to plant crops and care for their families. After a few very 
     difficult days we were arrested--forced by the Salvadoran 
     military to leave the returning families a few heavily mined 
     kilometers from their destination. We and they were not sure 
     they would survive. But they did. They planted their crops 
     and when they reaped their first harvest of beans and corn a 
     few months later, they sent each of us a little packet of 
     black beans and corn

[[Page H11617]]

     kernels. I have treasured them since as powerful symbols of 
     courage and life--and solidarity.
       I lost my first cousin in the WorId Trade Center--he worked 
     at Cantor Fitzgerald and left his wife and two very young 
     children. About a week after the attack, I wound my way down 
     to the site of the devastation and planted a few of those 
     seeds from EI Salvador in a small park as close as I could 
     get to the destruction. In some ways it was a futile 
     gesture--indicative of my inability to imagine a more 
     practical gesture of support for his family. On the other 
     hand, those seeds carry great weight--the weight of what 
     might blossom were we to open our hearts as a nation to a way 
     of life given to global solidarity.
       Over a year later, I returned to Ground Zero with my 
     family. After they went on their way, I found my way back to 
     that little park just to see it after the debris had been 
     cleared--there was a tall stalk of corn where I had planted 
     the seed. It was unbelievable, but a powerful sign of hope to 
     me. The seeds of the solidarity that nourished us--North 
     Americans and Central Americans together will bear rich fruit 
     personally, nationally and globally--if we are willing to 
     risk planting them again.
                                                     Marie Dennis,
                                    El Salvador, December 3, 2005.

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I commend my friend from Massachusetts for 
his singularly moving statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I rise in support of this resolution to honor the four United States 
churchwomen who were murdered in El Salvador 25 years ago this month: 
Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke, Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy 
Kazel, and Maryknoll Lay Missioner Jean Donovan. Sisters Dorothy Kazel 
and Jean Donovan were both from my hometown of Cleveland. I was present 
at a neighborhood church during a reception for Sister Dorothy before 
she left on her last trip to El Salvador and have shared many moments 
with the Kazel family since then.
  These churchwomen, along with other martyrs, dedicated their lives to 
working with El Salvador's poor during the incredibly dangerous and 
devastating period of the Salvadoran civil war. What their lives were 
about was bringing the social Gospel to those most in need. More than 
70,000 civilians were murdered during the 12 years of that war.
  The legacies of a history ripe with violence have lingered. Perhaps 
the best way to honor the four churchwomen is to do what they would do, 
to acknowledge the human rights offenses that have continued to this 
day. I would like to address such offenses: the continued operation of 
the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, under the new name 
of the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation; and the 
ongoing threats to the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman in El 
Salvador.
  I would like to urge support for Dr. Beatrice Alamanni de Carrillo, 
the Human Rights Ombudswoman of El Salvador. A crucial component of the 
1992 Peace Accords that put an end to the Salvadoran civil war was the 
establishment of the Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman, the 
principal human rights investigative and monitoring body in El 
Salvador. Dr. de Carrillo has received numerous accolades for her work 
strengthening human rights in El Salvador.
  Yet 25 years after the murders of the four U.S. churchwomen, threats 
against defenders of human rights continue. Over the course of the past 
year, the Ombudswoman has been the target of ongoing intimidation and 
harassment. The United States has the responsibility not only to 
recognize the work of the four churchwomen who we memorialize today but 
also to support those who are continuing to defend human rights in El 
Salvador.
  The murders of the churchwomen and countless others were executed by 
members of the armed forces of El Salvador. Three of the five officers 
involved in the 1980 rape and murder of four churchwomen were graduates 
of the School of the Americas. Other notorious graduates involved in 
human rights offenses in El Salvador have included: El Salvador death 
squad leader Roberto D'Abuisson; 19 Salvadoran soldiers linked to the 
1989 murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter; 
two of the three killers of Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador; and 
10 of the 12 officers responsible for the murder of 900 civilians in 
the Salvadoran village, El Mozote.
  In supporting the resolution honoring the 4 churchwomen, I would like 
to urge for floor consideration of another bill offered by Congressman 
McGovern, H.R. 1217, the Latin America Military Training Review Act of 
2005, which closes the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security 
Cooperation.
  Additionally, I would like to urge support for Dr. Beatrice Alamanni 
de Carrillo, the Human Rights Ombudswoman of El Salvador. A crucial 
component of the 1992 Peace Accords that put an end to the Salvadoran 
civil war was the establishment of the Office of the Human Rights 
Ombudsman, the principal human rights investigative and monitoring body 
in El Salvador. Dr. de Carrillo has received numerous accolades for her 
work strengthening human rights in El Salvador. Yet 25 years after the 
murders of the four U.S. churchwomen, threats against defenders of 
human rights continue. Over the course of the past year, the 
Ombudswoman has been the target of ongoing intimidation and harassment, 
including anonymous death and other threats and public slander, at 
times even by high-ranking State officials. The United States has the 
responsibility to support the work of human rights defenders in El 
Salvador whenever we have the opportunity to do so. In memory of the 
four churchwomen murdered 25 years ago, I urge my colleagues to 
publicly support the work of Dr. de Carrillo and to pressure the State 
Department and the Embassy of El Salvador to also publicly support her 
work.
  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for House 
Resolution 458, a resolution honoring the lives of four American 
churchwomen who were murdered just over 25 years ago in El Salvador. I 
am a cosponsor of the resolution and am gratified that the House has 
chosen to bring it to the floor under suspension of the rules.
  In late 1980, four American churchwomen were serving communities in 
El Salvador that were wracked by the violence of that country's civil 
war. They were murdered by members of the National Guard of El 
Salvador, horrifying the world and bringing home the impact of that war 
to the American public. These four lives were but a fraction of the 
70,000 civilians who perished in that conflict, and those numbers are 
dwarfed by the toll of the misery inflicted by the violence that raged 
up and down Central America in the 1970s and 80s.
  Locked in the struggle of the cold war, the U.S. turned a blind eye 
to much of the suffering in the region, focusing its efforts on the 
geopolitical ends of thwarting potential communist movements through 
military means, whether supporting the contras in Nicaragua or right-
wing governments in places like El Salvador. We look back on this 
period today with a mixture of relief that democracy prevailed and 
disgust at the tactics that were used.
  Brave action by these churchwomen carried the flag of democracy and 
human rights into that region, and helped freedom prevail. Our reliance 
on institutions like the School of the Americas to train the soldiers 
of leaders whose primary attractiveness to us was being ``not a 
communist'' rather than sharing our ideals of human rights hamstrung 
our efforts. Sadly, our military's reluctance to track those that we 
have trained makes it impossible for us to look beyond the anecdotal 
record of those who were the worst, or the best, to assess the true 
measure of what we did. However, that record was enough for those of us 
concerned about U.S. training of foreign militaries to push for closure 
of the School of the Americas and ensuring that the training that the 
U.S. military conducts here in the U.S. and around the world ensures 
respect for human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. People like 
Joe Moakley and Tip O'Neill, who I wish were here to see this. As 
chairman of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House 
Appropriations Committee in the 1980s, I led the fight with them to 
restrict U.S. military assistance to despotic regimes, and to conduct 
better oversight of foreign military training programs.
  Today, as much of our foreign assistance seems to be focused on the 
military front, in places like Colombia and elsewhere, we should 
remember that humanitarian assistance, development assistance, and 
people-to-people contact foster stronger bonds and better allies than 
military assistance alone. Ensuring clean water, education and stronger 
civil society provide a better life for everyday people do more to 
further our goals of fighting terror than another shipment of the 
weapons of war.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Conaway). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) that the House 
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 458, as amended.

[[Page H11618]]

  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________