NEW YORK–Ecumenical leaders, including prominent United Methodists, say continued pressure from US churches will be essential in the ongoing efforts to end US military use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as a target range.

"It is clear this will continue," said the Rev. Oscar Bolioli, a United Methodist pastor and director of the National Council of Churches (NCC) office, after returning from a visit by an NCC-led delegation to assess the situation on Vieques. "I perceive it is going to be a long and difficult struggle."

The June 1-3 visit, led by the Reverend Robert Edgar, NCC general secretary and a United Methodist pastor, was a way for US churches to show solidarity with the churches of Puerto Rico and plan ways for the ecumenical community to continue its solidarity campaign. In addition to Edgar and Bolioli, the members of the NCC delegation included representatives of the Episcopal Church, the United Church of Christ, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Bolioli said one benefit of the visit was that the delegation saw first-hand how wide a spectrum of religious communities–Roman Catholics, liberal Protestants, evangelical Protestants, and Pentecostals–are now solidly behind the efforts to eject the military from Vieques. That these groups have often disagreed on a range of issues in the past is proof of the emerging ecumenical unity on the Vieques issue, he said. "It's a religious panorama."

The campaign to end the Navy's use of Vieques has taken on increasing urgency in recent months. On May 4, US federal agents raided an ecumenical encampment on the bombing range and arrested dozens of protesters opposed to continued use of the island for target practice. Protesters are angry that a proposed agreement announced earlier this year between the US Navy and the government of Puerto Rico does not guarantee that the US military presence will end immediately. Under that proposal, a referendum would be called and Vieques residents could decide whether the Navy would stay or would leave –but the base would remain open for another three years and dummy bombs could be still used for practice in the interim.

Among the protesters arrested were Bishop Juan Vera of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico and Germán Acevedo Delgado, Assistant General Secretary for Connectional Relations in the Mission Contexts and Relationships program area of the General Board of Global Ministries. "We honor the demonstrators who risked their lives over the past year to express a concern all of us have about the Navy's use of Vieques as a bombing range," said the Reverend Edgar.

"Over the next six months, the Congress of the United States has to deal with the issue of providing funds for the island's cleanup and the opportunity for a referendum in Puerto Rico on determining the future use of this island," Edgar said. "Many religious leaders, including the NCC leadership, are concerned that this island has been abused by our military for many years," he added, noting that in an era of technological advances, the US Navy could find other ways to conduct military target practice.

Bolioli said it was important for the US churches to clarify that the Vieques issue remains unresolved, even after the well-publicized arrests in May. The fight is likely to continue for some time, as the US military wants to remain on the island for at least three more years.

Edgar said he hopes continued efforts by churches will lead "towards a quick resolution of this issue, including a quick referendum, so that the wishes of the people can be known, then swift action."

June 15, 2000