Statement of Catholic Women Religious Leaders Regarding the Murder of Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN
[Silver Spring, MD – Feb. 16, 2005] The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) issued a statement today calling on the world community to exert its influence to protest the brutal death of Sister Dorothy Stang,SNDdeN and to advocate for the persons and causes to which she gave her life.
The statement, which was sent to US President George Bush, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Secretary of State Condoleza Rice, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and various United Nations officials, urges action to stop all terror and violence perpetrated against those working for the protection of the environment and human rights.
The statement reads: “The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is deeply saddened and profoundly disturbed by the brutal assassination of Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdeN on February 12, 2005 outside Anapau, Brazil. This unconscionable act ended the life of a woman who had dedicated the last forty years of her life to advocacy for the poor and the forgotten peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
“Sister Dorothy spoke for the dispossessed and the voiceless to the wealthy ranchers and lumber companies who ruthlessly ravage the rainforest and exploit it for personal gain. Speaking truth to power is a prophetic act and Sister Dorothy paid for it with her life."
