The Honorable George W. Bush
President of the United States
Dear Mr. President,
We are pleased to greet you on the occasion of your visit to El Salvador. We see in your presence here in this country a sign of hope for the impoverished majorities of Central America.
We are bishops of the Catholic Church, members of the Presidency of the Episcopal Secretariat of Central America (SEDAC), the organization which gathers together all the bishops of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
While meeting in El Salvador on matters related to our pastoral work, we have been struck by how constantly the number of poor people is increasing, requiring so many of our brothers and sisters to seek a better future abroad, and mainly in the United States. We firmly believe that this intolerable situation must be addressed courageously and generously.
We are convinced that only if bold measures to promote true human development are taken, can the phenomenon of forced emigration find a lasting solution. At the same time, we note that in the present economic system, money and goods may move freely, while such rights are denied to people, resulting in a serious violation of human rights.
As you know, Mr. President, the people of Central America, having overcome bloody internal wars and other forms of violence, are striving to gain better living conditions. Whatever is done to support these very just desires strengthens democracy and effectively guards against the plague of terrorism.
In view of the above, and appealing to your sense of humanity, we respectfully offer to you the following requests:
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