Episcopal Church House of Bishops express solidarity with the bishop, people of El Salvador
The House of Bishops, meeting in retreat in Texas, adopted the following letter.
_____________
March 20, 2010
Cuthbert, Bishop of Lindisfarne
To the People of the Episcopal Diocese of El Salvador:
Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus, who is our hope and our salvation.
We write to you from Navasota, Texas, where we gather as a House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, to express our solidarity with you and our condemnation of the attempted assassination of our brother bishop, Martín Barahona, and his companions on Wednesday evening. We hold everyone involved in our prayers: Bishop Martin and those assaulted with him, particularly Francis Martínez has he recovers from his wounds; the families of the victims; all who are more fearful in the wake of this violence; the perpetrator of this act; those who assisted him; and those who were passive in response.
As we prepare to commemorate the life and ministry of Archbishop Romero on the thirtieth anniversary of his martyrdom, we know too well the cost that can be paid for being a servant of Christ. We fear that those who can prevent a repeat of this heinous act will be too slow to respond. We call upon the civil authorities, particularly the Department of Justice, to promptly investigate, apprehend, and bring to justice those who are responsible for this crime.
We stand in steadfast solidarity and love with our brother Martín and all the people of the Diocese of El Salvador. The apostle Paul said, “If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” Indeed, today we suffer with Bishop Martín and the people of El Salvador. We pray that through our solidarity and the resolve of those who carry the responsibility for civil order that we will one day soon rejoice with all our brothers and sisters in El Salvador when their land has become a place of Shalom.
In the hope found in Christ,
The House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church
__________________________
The Episcopal Church welcomes all who worship Jesus Christ in 109 dioceses and three regional areas in 16 nations. The Episcopal Church is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Related article:
Episcopal News Service: EL SALVADOR: Attempted murder cause for great concern, bishop says
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/81808_120980_ENG_HTM.htm
The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org
IamEpiscopalian: http://www.iamepiscopalian.org/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/episcopalian
Twitter: http://twitter.com/iamepiscopalian
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/TECtube
