SHARE Update and Action Alert -- May, 2001

Posted for SHARE Foundation by Partners Across Borders, St. Cloud, MN

ACTION ALERT from the SHARE Foundation,
Washington, DC Advocacy Office
Date: May 7, 2001

Congressional Briefing - Your Help Requested

Dear Friends, The SHARE Foundation is delighted to co-host this week a visit to Washington, DC, by Bishop Rosa Chavez of El Salvador. Details of the itinerary and meetings may be seen below.

We would like your assistance in contacting your member of Congress, to urge them (or their foreign policy aide) to attend two events:

• the Congressional briefing, on Thursday (note RSVP requested);
• the ecumenical service, Friday, at which time we will thank and honor Rep. Joe Moakley of Massachusetts for his twenty years of advocacy and leadership regarding El Salvador..

You may call your local office of your Representative and/or Senators to convey your request, or call directly to the Capitol Switchboard to contact your members of Congress here in Washington, at (202) 224-3121.

As always, we are very grateful for your assistance!

Sincerely,

(Rev.) Phil Anderson Public Policy Associate

MAY 7, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INFORMATION CONTACTS: Jean Stokan, SHARE Foundation (202) 319-5540,
Kamy Carey, Catholic Relief Service (410) 625-2220 x 3593

SALVADORAN BISHOP IN WASHINGTON; APPEALS FOR MORE HELP ON EARTHQUAKE RECONSTRUCTION NEEDS

Salvadoran Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez will be in Washington, D.C. May 10-13 to meet with Members of Congress, the Bush Administration, Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) officials, Church officials, and the Salvadoran American community. He will report on the massive destruction caused by El Salvador's recent earthquakes, address the Salvadoran government's failure to open up reconstruction planning to all sectors of society, and seek support for a vision of justice-based reconstruction to reverse El Salvador's severe poverty. He will also call for greater U.S. funding support for earthquake reconstruction. The trip is being sponsored by Catholic Relief Service , SHARE Foundation, Washington Office on Latin America and the Salvadoran Emergency Committee, among others.

A News Conference/Brunch will be held Saturday, May 12, 10:00 at Haydee’s Restaurant, 3102 Mt. Pleasant St., NW, Washington, D.C. Additional media opportunities include:

• Congressional Briefing, Thursday, May 10, 12:30 at Rayburn Office Bldg. Rm.2255 ;
• Ecumenical Service, Friday, May 11, noon, at Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol, St., N.E., and
• Salvadoran-American community celebration Friday, May, 11, 7 p.m. at St. Gabriel's Catholic School, 26 Grant Circle, N.W. (New Hampshire and Webster).

Bishop Rosa Chavez served as key spokesperson for the Catholic Church following El Salvador's major earthquakes on January 13 and February 13, which left homeless nearly one-fourth of the population and caused severe damage to the already impoverished rural economy. He is Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of San Salvador and current President of the Catholic aid agency CARITAS of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Chavez has emerged as a leading voice in defense of citizen participation in post-earthquake reconstruction planning, implementation and monitoring. In March, the Salvadoran Government was urged to pursue such a participation mechanism at an international donors' meeting convened by the IDB in Madrid, but the government has not taken action to broadened participation. Bishop Rosa, who addressed the Madrid gathering, will meet with Washington-based IDB officials in charge of following up on the Madrid commitments.

ITINERARY

Visit of Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez to Washington, DC May 9 - 13, 2001

PUBLIC EVENTS:

THURSDAY, May 10:

Congressional Briefing,  Thursday, May 10, 12: 30 p.m. at Rayburn Office Bldg. Rm.2255; Indiana and S. Capitol, S.W. (Please RSVP SHARE DC share@elsalvador.org)

FRIDAY, May 11:

Noon Ecumenical Service, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol, St., N.E. (two blocks east of the U.S. Capitol)

7:00 p.m. Salvadoran-American Celebration, St. Gabriel's Catholic School, 26 Grant Circle, N.W. (New Hampshire Ave, N.W., and Webster, near Petworth Metro Station)

SATURDAY, May 12

10:00 a.m. News Conference/Brunch will be held Saturday, May 12, 10:00 at Haydee’s Restaurant, 3102 Mt. Pleasant St., NW

6:00 p.m. Celebration, service, St. James Catholic Church, 3628 Rhode Island Ave., Mt Rainier, MD

INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS:

• Meeting with Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
• Meetings with Congressional Offices: Senior Staff for Senator Dodd (D-CT), Ranking Democratic Member, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC), Chair, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, House International Relations Committee. Charlie Flickner, majority staff for Rep. Jim Kolbe, Chair of Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.
• Meetings with Bush Administration Officials: John Maisto, National Security Council Ambassador Peter Romero, Assistant Secretary of State for Latin America, State Department.
• Meetings with Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Officials: President Enrigue Iglesias, Jorge Sapoznikov, and Region II Officials

VITA Bishop Gregorio Rosa Chavez Auxiliary Bishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador, El Salvador

• Born on September 3, 1942, in Sociedad, Morazan Department, El Salvador
• Ordained a priest in 1970
• Named bishop on February 17, 1982 by Pope John Paul II
• Consecrated bishop on July 3, 1982
• Studies in Louvain University, Belgium; Degrees in Theology and Social Communication
• Appointed Rector of San Jose de la Montana Seminary in 1977
• Auxiliary Bishop of San Salvador Archdiocese since 1982
• Named Diocese Administrator of San Salvador Archdiocese from November 1994 to May 1995 At present, also serving as Pastor, San Francisco Church in San Salvador
• Recently named President of CARITAS of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Vice President of CARITAS International for America and the Caribbean.