[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
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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.
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