ki

Yo
.
Stans (oe.the

Worlq Council of Churches
Sixth ASSEMBLY

at

24 July - 10 August 19283

Vancouver B.C.,

Canada

Aegis

Tocument

PR2.2

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REPORY OF TEE WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
DCLUEGATICN TO THLE MARSHALL ISLANDS

May 20 to June 4,

1983

Team Members
Kara L.

COLE,

Chairperson:
-Counecil

Thomas

B.

Administrative

United Meeting and member,

COCHRAN,

cf

Ph.D:

the Churches

Nuclear

Secretary of

the

Friends

Board of Governers, National

of Christ,

Physicist

USA.

serving

as

a Senior

Staff

Scientist fOr the Natural Resources Defense Council,

Wasnington,

D.C.

3Saiteke NABETARI: General Secretary of the Pacific Conference of
Churches.
B.

David WILLIAMS, Jr.: Associate Director for Peace Issues, National
Council of the Churches cf Christ, USA, until recently
Coordinator of the Church and Society Program, Pacific
Conference of Churches.

I.

INTRODUCTION

Continuing concern expressed by the Pacific churches,

through the

Pacific Confcrence of Churches, plus requests from the Marshall

Isiands caused the WCC tu consider sending this small delegation. A
final decision was made in consultation with leaders of the United
Church of Christ in Yhe Marshalls and the Roman Catholic Church
there. The team was hosted and its basic local itinerary suggested

by a local ecumenical planning committee comprised of leaders from the

United Church and

the Catholic Church.

The purposes of the visit were: (i) to assess the residual radiation
problem as an environmental and health hazard; (ii) to study the

social and human cost of the US military presence; (iii) to consult
with the churches of the Marshalls regarding these questions; and
(iv) to explore with the churches, in the context of the WCC's
standing concerns

for

peace

and disarmament,

for mobilizing the commitment of
these issues.

long-term strategies

the churches around the world on

Select target paragraph3