Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 12:57:07 -0400
Subject: AUT: Mons. Ruiz retirement & future of peace in Chiapas 


THE RETIREMENT OF BISHOP RUIZ AND THE FUTURE OF PEACE IN CHIAPAS

October 19, 1999
Dear Friends,

Roman Catholic Bishop Samuel Ruiz, who has played a key role in the peace
process in Chiapas, will submit his mandatory retirement when he reaches 75
on November 3.

SIPAZ is organizing an effort to express appreciation for Bishop Ruiz' 40
years of exemplary service in Chiapas and to demonstrate broad
international support for the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas in what
will be a challenging transition period. The vulnerability of the Diocese
and its role in the peace process has been underscored recently by news
that efforts are underway to prevent Co-adjutor Bishop Raul Vera from
succeeding Bishop Ruiz. Bishop Vera has dedicatedhimself to the needs of
the people since his arrival in 1995, and he would be expected to maintain
the general outlines of the existing pastoral plan of the Diocese. His
removal could create a highly unstable situation there.

We have prepared a statement of support and appreciation for the
endorsement of religious leaders from around the world. The statement will
be published on November 3. We invite your assistance in circulating the
statement and securing the endorsement of persons of different faith
traditions who are in positions of leadership at the local, regional,
national or international level in their congregation, denomination,
association, diocese, or other faith-based organization.

We have prepared a packet of materials that includes the statement, a cover
letter, a letter from the Diocese, some background information, and a reply
form. Please contact SIPAZ at sipaz-AT-igc.org to request the packet. The
cover letter is attached below.

The deadline for collecting endorsements is October 31.

Thanks for your assistance!

Phil McManus
Chair, SIPAZ



COVER LETTER FOR PACKET:

Dear Friends,

We would like to invite you to join us in recognizing the service
of Roman Catholic Bishop Samuel Ruiz on the occasion of his retirement. On
November 3, Bishop Ruiz will reach his 75th birthday, at which time he will
submit his mandatory retirement. While it remains to be confirmed by the
Vatican, it is likely that he will stay on as prelate until a final
celebration on January 25, 2000 to mark his 40th anniversary as Bishop of
San Cristobal de Las Casas in Chiapas, Mexico.

While his ministry is profoundly Christian, Bishop Ruiz' leadership
has transcended religious boundaries and made him a symbol of hope
everywhere. SIPAZ is collecting endorsements of religious leaders around
the world for the attached statement as well as organizing an ecumenical
religious leaders delegation to Chiapas to attend the January 25
celebration. We invite your participation in this effort.

A Lifetime of Exemplary Service

Since his consecration as a bishop in 1959, Bishop Ruiz has been a
prophetic voice in defense of the poor and marginalized. He has worked
tirelessly to build a pastoral practice in his diocese in which the laity,
including the formerly excluded indigenous, participate fully in addressing
their spiritual and material needs. The inculturation of an authentic
Christian faith in the indigenous communities of Chiapas is a fruit of his
pastoral work and an example for the church throughout the world. The
growth of social organizations among the indigenous and the courageous
witness of many groups and individuals have been greatly strengthened by
decades of pastoral work rooted in a conviction of the unique dignity of
each human being.

Religious Leaders Statement

The attached letter is addressed to Bishop Ruiz, Co-Adjutor Bishop
Raul Vera, and the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas. Through it, the
international religious community expresses its appreciation and support
for him and for the diocese on this momentous occasion. As endorsers we
seek persons of different faith traditions who are in positions of
leadership at the regional, national or international level in their
congregation, denomination, association, diocese, or other faith-based
organization.

The letter is to be delivered to Bishop Ruiz in November on the
occasion of his 75th birthday. We also plan to publish and promote it
internationally and to publish it as a paid ad in a prominent Mexican
national newspaper or to present it at a press conference in Mexico City,
or both.

Ecumenical Delegation for Peace and Reconciliation

With the encouragement of the Diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas
(see enclosed letter), we are planning an ecumenical delegation to Chiapas
to attend the January 25 celebration that will culminate a year of
activities related to Bishop Ruiz' retirement. The tentative dates are
January 20-26, 2000. In addition to the January 25 celebration, we
anticipate that the delegation will include meetings with national church
leaders in Mexico City, an ecumenical gathering in Chiapas that will
include local Evangelical and Catholic leaders, and other meetings and
visits that will enable a deeper understanding of the situation in Chiapas
as well as opportunities to come together in prayerful solidarity for
peace. For the delegation we seek a small but representative group of
international leaders from diverse religious traditions.

Objectives

Through the statement and the delegation, we seek first of all to
honor a figure whose love, vision, dedication and tenacity have made him a
light of hope for many. At the same time, we recognize that with the
retirement of Bishop Ruiz, the diocese will enter a vulnerable period that
powerful forces opposed to his prophetic ministry may seek to exploit.
Co-adjutor Bishop Raul Vera, who was named in 1995, has "right of
succession" and would likely pursue a similar pastoral approach to that of
Bishop Ruiz. However his succession is not guaranteed, and we are aware of
efforts to have another replacement named, apparently with the hope of
undermining the current direction of the diocese. The prayerful presence of
the international community is the best support we can offer in such a
challenging moment. Finally, both the statement and the delegation can
serve as a model of inter-religious cooperation. Amid the ongoing tensions
between Evangelicals and Catholics in Chiapas, such a presence, in word and
deed, can help to foster a spirit of dialogue. Rooted in Christ's message
of reconciliation, local churches in Chiapas have the potential to be a
mighty force for overcoming the divisions that frustrate efforts to build a
just and lasting peace.

Please Help!

If you are yourself a religious leader, we invite you to sign the
attached reply form and return it to our office by October 31. Endorsers
should reply by then via mail, email or fax, indicating their support for
the statement, how they should be identified on the statement, and if their
organizational identity should be listed "for identification purposes only."
We ask your help in circulating this information to other
interested parties. These materials are also available in Spanish. Can you
send them to a list of your contacts? Can you make a few calls to key
contacts? Can you provide us with a list of contacts to whom we might send
this? (We will not add them to any mailing list.)

While not required, we would also welcome your contributions
(suggested donation: $25-50), 100% of which will be used to enable us to
publish the statement in Mexico or to do other publicity work.
After it is published, we will send the statement to all endorsers,
along with a list of the other signers.  At that time, we would appreciate
your help in getting it into your denominational or congregational
publications, to other media outlets, and to others in your constituency.
Finally we ask your prayers for this endeavor and more importantly
for the suffering people of Chiapas who continue to struggle faithfully,
and at great cost, in the building of God's Reign.

Attached is some background information about the current situation
in Chiapas and a letter of invitation for the ecumenical delegation from
the Diocese of San Cristobal. Thank you for your help with this important
initiative in the long and painful struggle for a just and lasting peace in
Chiapas.

Sincerely,
Phil McManus
Chair, SIPAZ

Rev. Paula Bidle
SIPAZ Inter-Religious Committee

Ricardo Carvajal
Coordinator, SIPAZ Chiapas

Servicio Internacional para la Paz/International Service for Peace is a
coalition of North American, Latin American and European organizations
formed to support the peace process in Chiapas, Mexico.  SIPAZ combines
violence reduction and peacebuilding strategies in Chiapas with efforts to
inform and mobilize the international community.

SIPAZ International Office
P.O. Box 2415
Santa Cruz, CA 95063 USA
Tel. & Fax: 831 425 1257
E-mail: sipaz-AT-igc.org
http://www.sipaz.org


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