wfn.org | East Timor Nobel Laureate at NCCCUSA

[CAROL_FOUKE.parti@ecunet.org]

National Council of the Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A.
Internet: c/o carol_fouke.parti@ecunet.org

Contact: Wendy S. McDowell, NCC, 212-870-2227
NCC6/2/97 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOBEL LAUREATE FROM EAST TIMOR ASKS NCC LEADERS FOR
CONTINUED SUPPORT OF HIS PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE; CHURCH
LEADERS CALL FOR ACTIVISM

 NEW YORK, May 30 ---- Nobel laureate Bishop
Carlos Ximenes Belo of East Timor today delivered a
clear message to National Council of Churches (NCC)
and other Protestant and Catholic leaders: The
people of East Timor continue to be denied basic
human rights and the world must hear the story of
their struggle.

 During his half-day with the NCC, Bishop Belo
answered questions at a reception, gave a homily in
an ecumenical worship service and spoke briefly at a
luncheon.  He encouraged NCC and other church
leaders to "keep praying for the East Timorese
people, keep talking about East Timor" and to give
"concrete help to save the young people of East
Timor culturally and spiritually."

 Bishop Belo stressed the toll the Indonesian
occupation has taken on the young people of East
Timor.  "Every day, young people are imprisoned and
tortured, causing physical and psychological
suffering," Bishop Belo said.  He said that in his
frequent conversations with groups of young people,
some youth ask him why they should forgive the
Indonesian occupiers who have killed their friends
and relatives.  Bishop Belo tells them "I am
following the example of Christ" and encourages them
to work for "Christian values: justice, peace,
respect, work and prayer."

 "Very rarely are we in this country asked to
lay down our lives for our faith, but that is not
true for our brothers and sisters around the world
(like) Bishop Belo," said the Rev. Dr. Joan Brown
Campbell, NCC General Secretary.  She added, "many
are saying that this moment is an hour of destiny
for East Timor."  "We have our work to do."

 Other U.S. church activists involved with the
East Timor issue stressed that Indonesia invaded the
neighboring island of East Timor in 1975 with U.S.
political and diplomatic support and that the U.S.
has continued to provide weapons to the Indonesian
government.  During and following the invasion, one-
third of the East Timorese population of 600,000 was
killed.  In November, 1991, Indonesian troops killed
more than 271 people who were memorializing a young
East Timorese man.  Although international outrage
caused the human rights situation to improve
slightly, it is now worse again, according to Bishop
Belo, who supports the right of the East Timorese to
determine their own political future.

 A House bill barring many weapons sales and
military training aid for Indonesia, including the
sale of F16 fighter planes, comes to the floor in a
week to 10 days and Indonesia will be an  issue in
Congress in the coming months.  "One way to help is
to encourage people in the churches to press our
national government, now stuck in the mud of
commercialism, to concentrate on human rights in
East Timor," said the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, Jr.,
retired Episcopal Bishop from New York.

 United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert, NCC
President, and other NCC leaders will make an
official visit to East Timor in August of this year
and will report on what they see and hear.

-end-
 -0-