wfn.org | Poverty Eradication: Christian Leaders Call for Further

["Frank Imhoff" <Frank.Imhoff@elca.org>]

Poverty Eradication: Christian Leaders Call for Further Partnerships with
Governments
LWF General Secretary at Religious Leaders Consultation on Global Poverty

WASHINGTON D. C., United States of America/GENEVA, 14 September 2005 (LWI)
* As world leaders gather for the United Nations World Summit, September
14-16 in New York to discuss among other concerns, global poverty
reduction, an international group of Christian leaders has called on world
governments to facilitate further partnerships with churches and religious
organizations in the fight against poverty.

"We believe that our communities of faith, representing millions of people
and sponsoring numerous human-development initiatives, can provide new
models for advancing a global movement against poverty," the 30 church
leaders from the Northern and Southern hemispheres said in a communiqué
following a September 11-13 conference at the Washington National
Cathedral, Washington D. C. A delegation of participants in the Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty presented this declaration to the
World Summit in New York on the eve of the UN's
60th anniversary.

In the communiqué, they offered their partnership with political leaders
in joint efforts to build a global movement that would realize the
promises of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed on by world
leaders in 2000. These goals are "a crucial step toward a more just world
for all God's children," the Christian leaders said.

The General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Rev. Dr
Ishmael Noko, was among participants in the international consultation,
called for by churches of different Christian traditions in their search
for a common affirmation of concern for the plight of people living in
poverty worldwide. The Washington National Cathedral organized the event
as part of its recently-established Center for Global Justice and
Reconciliation.

For Noko, the churches' crucial role in advancing a global movement
against poverty was aptly expressed by Bishop Theodore F. Schneider,
Metropolitan Washington D. C. Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. Speaking at the consultation, Schneider stressed that the
ecumenical community could not afford to be silent at this critical time
when globalization was dividing society into the 'haves' and 'have-nots.'

The representatives of churches and church bodies commended the UN as it
marks its 60th anniversary this year for its work in peacemaking and
global reconciliation, particularly the historic commitment to eradicate
poverty in the MDGs' declaration. They noted however, that the five years
since the declaration was made had been a "triumph of principle," but "a
failure in practice."

"The increasing concentration of wealth in our world, while so many
suffer, is a scandal that impoverishes us all," they said, and urged
governments to create a just society by protecting human life, defending
human rights and fostering just economies.

While welcoming the world's wealthiest nations' (G8) recent debt cancellation as a significant step forward, the Christian leaders called upon
creditor nations and international institutions to cancel the remaining
debt of all nations struggling with extreme poverty. "Too many nations
still labor under a burden of debt that does not allow them to invest in
the health, education, and economic development of their peoples," the
church leaders said.

They affirmed the initiatives of countless church communities and
faith-based relief and development agencies that work for and with those
living in extreme poverty, and at the same time challenged churches to
pursue further partnerships with governments, international organizations,
civil society, and across confessional lines. "Without new strategic
partnerships, the world will fail to fulfill the aspirations of the
Millennium Declaration," they added. (577 words)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 140
member churches in 78 countries all over the world, with a total membership of nearly 66 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in
areas of common interest such as ecumenical and inter-faith relations,
theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the
various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF's information service. Unless
specifically noted, material presented does not represent positions or
opinions of the LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an
article contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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