06434
August 25, 2006
Error discovered in Assembly in Brief
Assembly’s action on Middle East misstated
LOUISVILLE — Two months after it was published, an error has been discovered in Assembly in Brief, the 16-page bulletin insert-size summary of the 217th General Assembly, produced by the Presbyterian News Service and published by the Office of the General Assembly.
On page six, it was reported that “the Assembly reframed that [the divestment] action with instructions ‘to have those financial investments of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), as they pertain to Israel, Gaza, East Jerusalem and the West Bank, be invested in only peaceful pursuits, and affirm that the customary corporate engagement process of the Committee on Mission Responsibility Through Investment of our denomination — in conjunction with appropriate reinvestment of funds where necessary — is the proper vehicle for achieving this goal.’”
That wording was considered by the Assembly Committee on Peacemaking and International Relations as it framed its recommendation to the Assembly.
However, the committee removed the phrase “in conjunction with appropriate reinvestment of funds where necessary” from its recommendation, which the Assembly approved.
Assembly leaders said the intent of the action was not just to defuse volatile relations between the PC(USA) and Jewish groups but to clarify the church’s position on Israel-Palestine relations and the various means the church has employed to promote peace in the Middle East. |
