The Alabama Political Reporter quoted Executive Director Eric LeCompte following a joint press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico yesterday. LeCompte and several religious leaders from the island released a statement addressing recent developments in the resolution of Puerto Rico’s crushing debt, specifically, a newly released deal to protect government pensions from being cut as a result of the efforts. Read an excerpt below, and click here for the full story.

Faith leaders call for Puerto Rico pension protection, debt and disaster relief

San Juan - The head of the religious development group Jubilee USA, Eric LeCompte, joined the San Juan press conference along with Catholic, United Church of Christ, Lutheran and Disciple religious leaders from the United States.

“For the first time in any debt restructuring for a U.S. city, territory or country, we are seeing pensions being protected,” noted Jubilee USA director and United Nations debt expert, Eric LeCompte. “While we are extremely pleased by the pension proposals, we also must see Puerto Rico’s debt cut by at least 80 percent.”

Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory. They have $72 billion in debt and are struggling to recover from the 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The major Puerto Rico religious leaders assert their ability to resolve disaster and debt crises are hampered by their relationship with the United States.

Read more here.