Puerto Rico Bishop
Bishop Hector Ortiz of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico explains the catastrophe facing the U.S. protectorate in the Caribbean and the vital role his church is playing in relief and recovery.
I love Puerto Rico. I've loved it since the time I first visited it, some 20 or so years ago, for a Council of Bishops' meeting. That excursion included a side trip to the island of Vieques where the U.S. Navy at that time kept a bombing range that was ultimately given up through the constant activism of island residents and their supporters. When Hurricane Maria raked her claws over the lush islands of Vieques and Puerto Rico for 30 hours, I prayed and wept.
How bad is it really in Puerto Rico? New outlets have reported that three weeks after Hurricane Maria:
- 83 percent of Puerto Rico remained without electricity;
- Two-thirds of cellphone towers were down, leaving 45 percent of the population without phone service;
- 36 percent of residents had no running water, and about 6,000 people were still in shelters.
Despite this level of disruption and damage, Politico, the New York Times and the Washington Post all reported that President Trump tweeted the situation represents a "total lack of accountability." He stated that the "electric and all infrastructure was disaster before hurricanes. Congress to decide how much to spend. We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!” Talk about blaming the victims!
Thankfully, on the same day, the U.S. House approved $36.5 billion in hurricane aid, much of it aimed at Puerto Rico, by a vote of 353-69. But even the prospect of this money isn't enough.
What's at stake in disaster response for Puerto Rico is nothing less than the battle for thousands of lives and ultimately for the soul of America. Carmen Yulin Cruz, the courageous and compassionate mayor of San Juan who has been publicly denigrated by the president, pleaded with "every American that has love, and not hate in their hearts, to stand with Puerto Rico and let this President know we WILL NOT BE LEFT TO DIE."
Puerto Rico needs both our help and our understanding.
First, we need to continue regular contributions to the United Methodist Committee on Relief's US Disaster Response, Advance #901670. Note that title: U.S. Disaster Response. Puerto Rico, as an island territory, is part of the United States. They're not "foreigners," they're fellow Americans.
Second, we need to confront the unspoken racism behind threats to cut off aid to Puerto Rico. The United Methodist General Commission on Religion and Race has quickly recognized what's really behind the president's "wildly different responses" between Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. The commission has prepared a toolkit to help United Methodists confront the racism behind official resistance to helping our fellow Americans on the island. The toolkit includes examples of Vital Conversations on language and culture; how to better understand Puerto Rico's culture and customs; and how to recognize where public policies have hampered both past economic development and current disaster response.
In its distribution email, Religion & Race staff wrote:
"We must think critically about the unfolding tragedy in Puerto Rico and examine systems of injustice that keep so many of our brothers and sisters in a place of need and suffering, before and after the storms of life. While we may claim systemic injustice as no fault of our own, we are part of the family of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus united in the Holy Spirit. Unless we come together in authentic community and have the vital – sometimes difficult – conversations essential to building the beloved community, we fall short of the authentic Christian lives to which we are called.
"Therefore, we call upon U.S. citizens of faith and goodwill to hold our government accountable for the immediate escalation of aid to rebuild the infrastructure and protect our fellow citizens of Puerto Rico."
Jesus commanded that we respond with compassion to those in need. Watch the video of Methodist Bishop Hector Ortiz pleading for help for his country. Give to UMCOR for Puerto Rico. Use the Religion & Race toolkit to accept our responsibility as U.S. citizens to come to the aid of our neighbors, and hold our U.S. officials accountable for helping them recover. If we truly want to follow Jesus, we can do no less.
Cynthia B. Astle serves as Editor of United Methodist Insight, which she founded in 2011.