wfn.org | ELCA Presiding Bishop Criticizes Content of US Presidential

["Frank Imhoff" <frank_imhoff@elca.org>]

ELCA Presiding Bishop Criticizes Content of US Presidential Nominees
Campaigns
Fight against Terrorism Crucial, but Other Social Concerns Must be Tackled

CHICAGO, United States of America /GENEVA, 29 September 2004 (ELCA NEWS/LWI)
- Just a few days before their first televised debate, the Rev. Mark S.
Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
(ELCA), has written an open letter to United States presidential nominees
President George W. Bush and Senator John F. Kerry, urging them to change the
tone and content of their campaigns in the run-up to elections in November.

In the letter made public yesterday, Hanson challenged the presidential
nominees to answer questions on social concerns such as HIV/AIDS, the
environment, the growing gap between wealthy and impoverished people,
affordable housing, health care, wages and education.

While Hanson acknowledged that terrorism was an important concern, and terror
had to be rejected, he pleaded with the Republican and Democrat nominees that
they not "reduce all of the cries of suffering humanity to this single
issue." The incumbent Bush and his Democratic challenger Kerry will hold
three televised debates * September 30, October 8 and 13 * prior to the
November 2 poll.

Hanson asked both candidates to "stop looking back 30 years and challenging
each others military service" and instead "provide us with a vision for the
next 30 years." He urged both campaigns to "help us see what responsibilities
and possibilities come with the privilege of freedom and the abundance of
prosperity."

The ELCA presiding bishop said this was not the time for the USA to withdraw
from the world or seek to "dominate the world with our economic and military
power. We need to hear what it means for our nation to be stewards of that
power for the sake of peace and the well-being of all Gods children," he
said. "It is time to stand with all who suffer in the world, all who live
daily with the reality of violence, and it is time to work together so that
all might have daily bread and experience justice, mercy and peace."

He reminded the Democratic and Republican nominees for President that while
terrorism "haunts our times," there were other important concerns such as
"hunger and poverty, corrupt and brutal political systems, harsh
discrimination and social inequalities, civil wars, environmental degradation
and epidemic diseases."

"These, too, are sources of insecurity and hopelessness for millions," Hanson
said. "They do not belong in a world that is increasingly interconnected. To
neglect or to be indifferent to these realities while countering terrorism is
both morally wrong and shortsighted."

Hanson leads the nearly 5 million-member ELCA, a member church of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) since 1988. He is president of the
Geneva-based LWF, representing around 65 million Lutherans worldwide. (460
words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 138 member
churches in 77 countries all over the world, with a membership of nearly 65
million Lutherans. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in areas of
common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations, theology,
humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.]

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