State’s bishops urge ‘holistic plan’ for Lower Snake River region
Nov 3, 2022
Local
SEATTLE – With the decline of salmon in the Lower Snake River region, the impact on Native people and the call of Pope Francis to care for creation, the state’s bishops have issued a statement urging a holistic plan for the region that “serves the common good.”
Any plan should take into account “care for God’s creation, treaties and rights of the Original Peoples of Washington state, and those who live and work in the Lower Snake River region,” the five bishops said in their statement, titled “Caring for Creation and the Common Good in the Lower Snake River Region.”
The statement, which quotes from Pope Francis’ environmental encyclical, Laudato Si’, is signed by Archbishop Paul D. Etienne of Seattle, Bishop Joseph J. Tyson of Yakima, Bishop Thomas A. Daly of Spokane and Seattle Auxiliary Bishops Eusebio Elizondo and Frank Schuster.
Archbishop Etienne presented a preview of the statement to Indigenous people gathered for a Salmon Seas celebration in Seattle Oct. 30.
“We share your desire to care for our common home and we welcome opportunities to bring together communities to address concerns, including the decline of salmon in our region,” Archbishop Etienne said.
The gathering was part of the first International Indigenous Salmon Seas Symposium sponsored by Se’Si’Le (pronounced saw-see-lah), a nonprofit that “introduces indigenous spiritual law into the mainstream conversation about climate change and the environment.”
The bishops’ letter acknowledges that the decline in the salmon population and the loss of original habitat are a threat “to the spiritual lifeways of the Original Peoples of the Northwest.”
Archbishop Etienne said two Se’Si’Le leaders — Jay Julius, president and a member of the Lummi Nation, and vice president JoDe Goudy, a member of Yakama Nation — brought the issue to the attention of the bishops.
Their statement urges state and federal policy makers “to develop and implement a holistic plan for the Lower Snake River region that seeks input from the Original Peoples of Washington state as principal dialogue partners, as well as input from farmers, community members, and concerned citizens. Any policy changes should carefully consider those who may be negatively impacted.”
After presenting the letter at the Salmon Seas gathering, Archbishop Etienne closed by saying, “I share in the spirit of the local original nation people here in your commitment to the lifeways of the salmon. … please know of my prayers for all of you as you continue in this journey and of my spiritual accompaniment with you.”