The following statement was printed in the Honolulu Star Advertiser, Sunday February 27 edition. It was signed by many clergy of the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaii, members of Episcopal congregations, clergy and lay in other Christian congregations, Buddhists, a member of a Jewish congregation, veterans of military service, UH faculty and students, Hawaii Interfaith Power and Light, and private citizens. It was a full page advertisement that was paid for by those who signed the statement.
The Interfaith Statement
As individuals and groups who represent a diversity of religious and spiritual traditions, we are united in our shared values of aloha and respect for all living things; in our appreciation of the natural world as the foundation for the wellbeing of all; and in our understanding that water is an indispensable element and source for life. It is through our shared values that we call for the immediate and permanent shutdown of the fuel tanks at Kapūkakī (Red Hill).
Across the spiritual traditions, water is foundational to life, a symbol of purity and rebirth and a metaphor for actively engaged and transformative lives. Protecting water is a sacred act.
Any and all efforts to repair and improve the tanks will not address the fundamental problem that may ultimately lead to more leaks and a catastrophic contamination of the Southern O‘ahu Basal Aquifer, the primary source for drinking water for the island. We have the responsibility to our children and future generations not to put off the problem. We demand the immediate shut-down of Red Hill fuel tanks and that the U.S. Navy and the federal government take responsibility for the harms already caused.