| Bishops' letter
to President Bush August 21, 2006
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
Dear President Bush:
One of our United Methodist local pastors, Isaias Sta. Rosa, was killed in
the Philippines on August 3, 2006. Police said a soldier found dead next to
the local pastor is believed to be one of the ten masked gunmen who forced
their way into the pastor’s home, beat, and killed him. Sta. Rosa’s killing
came after three activists were killed within a span of 24 hours in the same
region and he is the twenty-first church worker killed since May 2001,
nationwide.
A fact-finding delegation from the U.S. visited earlier this spring. During
their visit with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the delegation urged her
to direct the military to terminate violent activities against civilians.
Three of our United Methodist bishops in the Philippines are currently
conducting further investigation into Sta. Rosa’s death. In addition, the
National Council of Churches in the Philippines is calling for a thorough
inquiry by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United
Nations Human Rights Council and other international courts of justice.
United Methodists in the Philippines and the United States are deeply
troubled by the growing violence of the military under President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo. We ask you to communicate to President Macapagal our
deepening concerns, concerns which we expect you in your office share.
Thank you for your assistance,
Janice Riggle Huie
Bishop
cc Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
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