wfn.org | LWI 2008-075 LWF Executive Committee Issues Pastoral Message on Global Financial Crisis

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LWF Executive Committee Issues Pastoral Message on Global Financial Crisis
Humanitarian Budgets Likely to Face Greater Pressure

HELSINKI, Finland/GENEVA, 27 October 2008 (LWI) - In the context of the  current global financial crisis, the Executive Committee of the Lutheran  World Federation (LWF) has issued a pastoral message denouncing the  collective failure of responsibility and accountability on the part of  governments, financial institutions and business leaders, and urging the  LWF member churches to stand in solidarity with the people most  affected.

In the message following the 24-26 October meeting in Helsinki, Finland,  members of the Executive Committee, led by LWF President Bishop Mark S.  Hanson, said they "are deeply disturbed and moved by the suffering, fear  and helplessness experienced by people and communities" in the respective  contexts throughout the world.

The committee members pointed to the current crisis as the "catastrophic"  consequence of non-sustainable economic, social and environmental  processes, and expressed regret that it was the poor and vulnerable who  bear the greatest burden in a crisis such as the current one. "We find it  painful to note how quickly massive financial resources could be mobilized  to prop up the financial markets and institutions in this moment of  crisis, when in much better economic times a fraction of those resources  could not be found to eliminate extreme poverty around the world," stated  the pastoral message.

The committee noted that while banks and financial institutions would  benefit from unprecedented rescue packages, humanitarian aid and developmen t budgets were likely to be placed under greater pressure. Churches were  therefore challenged to maintain their commitment to support and give hope  to the poorest and most vulnerable in their communities and throughout the  world.

The representatives of LWF member churches from across the world underscore d the churches' obligation to join with others in rebuilding trust in  community, "and in creating new economic institutions and forms of  governance that are more responsive to the claims of justice and thus  worthy of trust." They reminded churches of their prophetic role to  challenge the "idolatry of riches [and] unconstrained greed and its  consequences."

The committee members affirmed the LWF leadership's pastoral concern and  accompaniment, inviting member churches to share their experiences and  responses, and support each other in the midst of the current crisis.

Hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF), the Executive  Committee meeting started with a half-day seminar on missiology and an  exchange with Finnish Lutheran communion partners. The program included a  dinner reception hosted by His Eminence Metropolitan Ambrosius at the  seaside Orthodox Cultural Center in Sofia, some 15 kilometers from  Helsinki.

The LWF vice-president for the Nordic region Bishop Dr Eero Huovinen, ELCF  Helsinki diocese, hosted the committee members at a dinner to which 2008  Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari (former Finnish President) was  invited.

The LWF Executive Committee comprises the President, Treasurer, Vice-Presid ents, and chairpersons of the seven program committees that evaluate the  work of the Geneva headquarters' departments and units. It normally meets  twice a year. (495 words)

The full text of the Executive Committee's pastoral message is available  on the LWF Web site at, http://www.lutheranworld.org/LWF_Documents/LWF_Exec Cmte_global-financial-crisis_Oct08.pdf

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(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran  tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF currently has 141  member churches in 79 countries all over the world, with a total membership  of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts on behalf of its member churches in  areas of common interest such as ecumenical and interfaith 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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