March
11, 2003
CHARLESTON, S.C. (ELCA) Saying he
is "very disappointed" that President George W. Bush has
declined thus far to meet with a group of U.S. religious leaders
about the possibility of war with Iraq, the Rev. Mark S. Hanson,
presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), said he will continue to press for a meeting but is not
optimistic.
Hanson made the remarks here in a report to the ELCA Conference
of Bishops. The ELCA is organized into 65 synods, each headed by
a bishop. The ELCA Conference of Bishops is an advisory body to
the church, consisting of the church's 65 synod bishops, ELCA
presiding bishop and ELCA secretary. The conference met here
March 6-11.
There have been two requests by U.S. religious leaders to meet
with Bush, Hanson said in an interview. In the first, more than
40 U.S. religious leaders -- most of whom oppose a war with Iraq
--
asked for a meeting with the President, through the National
Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC). The
President's staff declined, questioning why Bush should meet
with a group of people opposed to the President's policy, Hanson
said.
"I say that would be a reason in and of itself," he said in an
interview. "I would hope our President is in constant
conversation
with folks with whom he is not in agreement."
After the NCC request, Hanson
said he raised the issue again at a recent meeting of U.S.
religious leaders. As a result of that discussion, he asked the
White House staff again for a meeting -- this time with a group
of religious leaders with views ranging "from conservative to
moderate to liberal," he said.
"We have not officially received a 'no,' but we have not
received a 'yes,' and I've gotten no indication that [meeting]
would happen," Hanson said. "I'm very concerned, because for us,
war is first and last, a moral issue."
"If the President severs himself
from moral leaders in the
society and hears and heeds only the voices that are advising
him in terms of what is strategically the right military
response, then I think we have essentially had our President
turn his back on moral leaders, which I think we as religious
leaders are in this country," Hanson said.
In recent weeks several NCC-led delegations have traveled to
meet with religious and political leaders in Europe about the
situation with Iraq. Their travels have included stops in
Berlin,
London, Moscow, Paris and Rome, he said. In one meeting, U.S.
religious leaders met for nearly one hour with British Prime
Minister Tony Blair.
"This
is a man who supports our President's policy who was
willing to hear the voices of U.S. religious leaders," Hanson
said.
"Now, those same religious leaders are asking to meet with
President Bush and have been turned down so far. I am very
disappointed about that."
Hanson said he will be persistent with White House staff and
will continue to ask for a meeting of U.S. religious leaders
with
President Bush.
In the
meantime, Hanson suggested that leaders of the church
need to "convene our own communities of faith in moral
deliberation and expect that we're not all of one mind about
this," he said. "This is a very complex issue."
THE CHURCH MUST SPEAK PUBLICLY
Hanson's remarks about Iraq and the President's unwillingness
thus far to meet with U.S. religious leaders followed his
comments to the bishops about the need for church leaders to
speak publicly.
In the ELCA
constitution, in its clergy standards and in
letters of call, ordained leaders are expected to "speak
publicly to the world," Hanson said. Bishops of the church
should speak
publicly and work with clergy in their synods to do the same
when it is appropriate, he said.
On several occasions, Hanson has
spoken publicly about a
variety of issues. He has called for U.S. leadership to find
peaceful means to solve Middle East violence, and he has
criticized the Bush Administration's talk of war with Iraq. In
each case, Hanson has referred to ELCA social statements to
"ground" his positions.
Some ELCA members have asked Hanson what gives him the right to
speak on such issues, he said. "I respond 'by virtue of my
call,'" he said. "I'm seeking to be faithful to my call and the
call of the church."
Hanson
said he is presently working with Dr. Cynthia
Moe-Lobeda, School of Theology and Ministry, Seattle, and others
in the church to strengthen his role in the public arena.
"Obviously the world situation is
one that calls for our speaking," he told the bishops. "Our
colleagues in the global church, especially those in the world
Lutheran church, encourage us to speak."
TRUST, FINANCES ARE ONGOING CONCERNS
In his report to the bishops, Hanson also reviewed other
ongoing topics in the church:
+ Since he became presiding bishop
in November 2001, Hanson's schedule has included visits to the
synods of the church. To date, he has completed 52 visits to the
ELCA's 65 synods. "I sense among the synod's leaders ... a
profound gratitude for your leadership," he told the Conference
of Bishops. "I also sense some real apprehension about the work
that's ahead of us."
+
Among the concerns is the ongoing ELCA studies on sexuality,
mandated by action of the 2001 ELCA Assembly in Indianapolis.
The process calls for study of questions related to blessings of
same-sex relationships -- for which there is no official ELCA
policy -- and the possibility of ordaining gay and lesbian
people in committed relationships -- presently precluded by ELCA
policy. A report with any recommendations is to come to the 2005
ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
+
Hanson said one of his "deepest fears" is that "the vast
middle of this church is becoming more and more disengaged from
the wider church." These members lack a passion for the wider
church, and there is a lack of trust for church leadership,
Hanson suggested. It is difficult to re-establish trust when
some members are not engaged in wider relationships with the
church, he said.
+
Strategic planning efforts for the ELCA continue, Hanson
said. During their meeting, the bishops discussed some suggested
mission and vision statements, and possible priorities. The ELCA
Church Council, the church's board of directors, is expected to
consider formal strategic planning proposals when it meets in
April. A "dilemma" in the process is that the churchwide
organization is experiencing a decline in income, Hanson said.
"How do we deal with the momentum of the loss of income and
planning for the churchwide organization?" he asked.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
