Statement from 153 faith organizations in 25 countries in support of the Salvadoran people and their religious leaders and institutions as they struggle to preserve El Salvador’s historic, world-leading ban on metals mining.

We, the undersigned, from a diversity of church structures (representing local, regional, and national expressions of churches and related agencies), express our steadfast support for the people of El Salvador and their religious institutions and leaders who are struggling to maintain their country’s historic ban on metal mining – in place from 2017 to 2024 – so all Salvadorans can enjoy their God-given right to clean water. We stand in solidarity with civic and religious leaders who are being persecuted and imprisoned for working against injustices, including the devastation that metals mining would cause their communities.

Salvadoran faith communities played a pivotal role in securing the country’s world-leading ban on metals mining. In the early 2010s, the government of El Salvador established a technical committee of three renowned mining experts who came to El Salvador at the Government’s invitation to review and recommend mining policy options. In their 2012 report, they reaffirmed the widespread public opposition to mining. They pointed to the extreme threats to El Salvador’s fragile watersheds from arsenic, cyanide and other toxic chemicals used and released in mining. Accordingly, in 2017, the Archbishop of San Salvador led a march to the National Assembly to deliver a copy of a draft law that would prohibit metals mining to save the country’s rivers. A few weeks later, the Salvadoran legislature passed the law unanimously.

Public opposition to metals mining remains as strong as it was in 2017, with a December 2024 poll by the José Simeón Cañas Central American University – a deeply respected Jesuit institution – showing that three in five Salvadorans believe the country is not suitable for metals mining. Moreover, hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans still lack access to potable water in their homes and many more go days without water due to existing scarcity and contamination of rivers, lakes, and streams, which would be exacerbated by mining.

Nonetheless, in December 2024, the Salvadoran Government abruptly overturned the ban and quickly passed a new law allowing mining with little debate and no environmental or social safeguards.

In response, in El Salvador, Catholic, historic Protestant and Evangelical religious churches across denominations and faith-based civic organizations have spoken out forcefully and mobilized their members. In March 2025, Mons. José Luis Escobar Alas, Archbishop of San Salvador, personally presented petitions signed by 150,000 people urging repeal of the December 2024 law, saying “listening to the clamor of the Salvadoran people, knowing that if metals mining were implemented in our country, we would all be seriously harmed, including future generations.” The Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in El Salvador reiterated its opposition to metals mining in a May 2025 Pastoral Letter.

Inspired by Christian teachings that recognize water and nature as a sacred gift from God, and reaffirmed by Pope Francis in Laudato Si, we echo the call of Salvadoran church leaders that the reintroduction of mining would exacerbate environmental and humanitarian threats. They point out that mining would exacerbate the already dire water contamination in El Salvador, further polluting the Lempa River, which supplies water to over 60 percent of the population.

They remind us that access to water is a fundamental human right and that clean water is not a commodity, but a shared inheritance entrusted to all people by God. And they remind us that ending the mining ban is fueling egregious rights violations against those organizing to protect their water and land from destruction.

We faith organizations from across the globe amplify this call by Salvadoran church leaders to end the persecution and criminalization of those defending the right to clean water – a call backed by tens of thousands in El Salvador and abroad, including UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor. We amplify their call that the Government of El Salvador not threaten, stigmatize or persecute people and organizations that are “carrying out their duties” to protect water, land and communities and support their call for the immediate dropping of charges against water defenders and human rights lawyers.

We pray for the Salvadoran people and their government, that they protect the sacred gift of creation, uphold human rights, and ensure every family clean water – now and for generations to come.

Signatories by country and region in alphabetical order:

Africa Regional

All Africa Theological Education by Extension Association

Programme for Christian Muslim Relations

World Student Christian Federation

Argentina

Iglesia Anabautista Menonita de Buenos Aires

Asia Regional

World Student Christian Federation Asia

Austria

Informationsgruppe Lateinamerika (IGLA)

International Fellowship of Reconciliation – Austria 

Belgium

Protección Internacional Mesoamérica

Canada

Comité para los Derechos Humanos en América Latina (CDHAL)

Development and Peace – Caritas Canada

Ecological Justice Working Group, United Church of Canada, Regions East
Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception

Jesuit Refugee and Migrant Service

Justice, Mission and Outreach Committee for the United Church of Canada in the Maritimes

KAIROS Canada

The Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology (ORCIE)

Ottawa Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends

Parrish of Saint Oscar Romero, United Free Catholic Church of Canada

The Presbyterian Church in Canada

Providence Associates

The United Church of Canada

Chile

Fundación Tantí (Semilla)

Observatorio por el Cierre de la Escuela de las Américas – Chile

Colombia

Centro Ecuménico Popular para América Latina CEPALC 

Coalición de Movimientos y Organizaciones Sociales de Colombia (COMOSOC)

Episcopal anglicana

Iglesia Colombiana Metodista 

Mesa Ecuménica por la Paz (MEP)

Pensamiento crítico y subjetividad

Costa Rica

Departamento Ecuménico de Investigaciones (DEI)

Universidad Bíblica Latinoamericana

Cuba

Centro Oscar Arnulfo Romero

Democratic Republic of Congo

Centre Arrupe pour la Recherche et la Formation

Church of Christ Congo

Dominican Republic

Centro de accion y reflexion padre Juan Montalvo

Ecuador

Centro de Documentación en Derechos Humanos “Segundo Montes Mozo SJ” (CSMM)

Germany

Oficina Ecuménica por la Paz y la Justicia

Guatemala

Cardinal Alvaro Ramazzini

Conferencia de Iglesias Evangelicas de Guatemala

Fraternidad de Presbiteriales Mayas 

Sister Parish of Decorah, Iowa

Convergencia Nacional de Resistencia CNR

Ecumenical Council of Guatemala

Honduras

Derechos Humanos sin Frontera Honduras

Fundación San Alonso Rodríguez

Misioneros Claretianos Honduras

International

Pax Christi International

GreenFaith

Italy

Secretariado de Justicia Social y Ecología, Jesuitas

Kenya

Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA)

CAM-SOLGIDI

Childrights Patrons Network 

Kenya Alliance of Advancement of Children (KAACR)

Mully Children’s Family

Muungano Widows Community Based Organization 

Senior Women Citizens for Change

México

Casa del Migrante de Saltillo

Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas

Consejo Mexicano de Bienestar 

Otros Mundos Chiapas

CDH Tepeyac del Istmo de Tehuantepec, A.C. 

Middle East Regional

Middle East Council of Churches

Palestine

The Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees in the Middle East Council of Churches (DSPR-MECC)

Defence for Children International- Palestine

Jerusalem Center for Women 

Wiam, the Palestinian Conflict Transformation Center

Philippines

Ecumenical Bishops Forum

Puerto Rico

Red Continental Cristiana por la Paz

Región Mesoamericana

Red Eclesial Ecológica Mesoamericana (REMAM)

South Africa

Ecumenical Accompanier Program for Palestine-Israel – South Africa

Spain

Molocan, Cooperatismo Integral

OMAL
Ongd AFRICANDO

Red Europea de Comités Oscar Romero (SICSAL Europa)

Switzerland

Ecumenical Water Network

United Kingdom

Environmental Network for Central America (ENCA, UK)

Laudato Si’ Research Institute

United States

Alliance of Baptists

Alma de Izote Collective, Chicago, IL, USA

American Friends Service Committee

Anabaptist Climate Collaborative

Associates of the Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Augustine

Benet Hill Monastery

Bethel Christian Fellowship, Denver, Colorado

Bishop Mark Seitz, Diocese of El Paso

Chicago Religious Leadership Network on Latin America (CRLN)

Church Women United in New York State

Coalition to Dismantle the Doctrine of Discovery

Concerned Citizens retired Miners Coalition of Superior,Az.

Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces

Crossbridge Baptist Church, Boca Raton, FL

Divine Mercy – Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Castro Valley, CA

Doctors for Global Health-Mexico

Dominican Sisters of Hope 

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose, CA

Dominican Sisters of Sparkill

Downtown United Presbyterian Church, Rochester, NY, Justice Team

El Dorado Institute 

Evangelical Reformed Church United Church of Christ, Frederick, Maryland

Faith in Action

Familia Vicentina Internacional

FOCUS /Wichita

Franciscan Action Network

Franciscan Peace Center, Clinton, Iowa

Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart

Fuerza Mundial (Women of the Americas)

Hope House of Prayer, Cleveland, OH

Immaculate Heart Community Commission on Justice

InterReligious Task Force on Central America 

JB Foundation 

Latin America Task Force of the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice

Latin America Working Group (LAWG)

Mennonite Central Committee U.S.

Mennonite Mission Network

Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart

Mission Outreach Ministries of Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice

Orden de Hermanos Menores

Parallel Productions

Philippe Bourgois, University of California

PICA

Presbyterian Church (USA), Office of Public Witness 

Presentation Sisters, San Francisco, CA

Provincial Council Clerics of St. Viator

Religiosas de la Asuncion de Chaparral, NM

Romero Interfaith Center of Philadelphia 

Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Minneapolis, MN

Sister Cities of NJ

Sisters of Charity

Sisters of Charity of New York

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team

Sisters of Saint Francis Rochester MN

Sisters of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia

Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston Justice and Peace Office

Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary

Strangers No Longer (Michigan, USA)

St. Ann Catholic Church, West Palm Beach, FL

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, New York, NY

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Towson, Maryland

Union Church

Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Unite North Metro Denver

Washington Ethical Society

Weber Sustainability Consulting  

West Burke Unitarian Universalist Society

Wheaton Franciscan JPIC Office

USA/Canada

Rights Action (USA/Canada)

Zambia

United Church of Zambia University

Women for Change

Zambia Council of Churches

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