wfn.org | Latin America: Neo-Liberalism Has Resulted in Suffering, Poverty

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

Lutheran Church Leaders Urge Greater Participation of Communities

SANTA CRUZ, Bolivia/GENEVA, 22 May 2002 (LWI/ALC) - International
debt, the process of neo-liberal globalization and the struggle
for human rights were key issues at a recent meeting of bishops
and presidents of Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches
in Latin America.

Globalization could benefit the entire world population if
powerful technological and communication tools were used to
improve people's living conditions and safeguard the natural
environment, the Conference of Bishops and Presidents (COP) of LWF
member churches in 14 Latin American countries said in a
statement. Their April 7-11 meeting was hosted by the Bolivian
Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELB) in Santa Cruz.

Delivering her sermon during the opening worship service at IELB's
Faith and Hope congregation, Rev. Gloria Rojas, president of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chile said the presence of COP
members as well as representatives from the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America and LWF was significant.

Addressing the COP participants, LWF general secretary, Rev. Dr.
Ishmael Noko, said the meeting was an opportunity to hear what the
Latin American Lutheran churches have to tell the world, and their
impressions on and preparatory work for the LWF Tenth Assembly to
be held in Winnipeg, Canada, 21-31 July 2003.

In a pastoral letter, the Latin American church leaders said the
effects of foreign debt weigh heavily on their countries, and
affirmed solidarity with those demanding a just treatment and
equal opportunities for education, health and employment. Foreign
debt, they said, is an economic neo-liberal model imposed on Latin
American and other third world countries in close association with
leading first world political and military powers. "Debt is
immoral and illegitimate as [the people] have repaid it many times
over in material form and through environmental degradation and
loss of lives," they stressed.

The COP participants cited impacts of economic neo-liberalism such
as bankruptcy of thousands of companies, unemployment, poverty,
exclusion and negative industrial growth. They said Latin American
nations have not been able to effectively counter this imposed
model, given the growing loss of sovereignty and the subordination
of governments to international credit organizations, and the
political pressures of the United States government, the main
guarantor of the mode.

The effect on ordinary Latin Americans is evident. "We witness a
deterioration of our material conditions and a profound crisis of
values on a daily basis," the statement said. Despite these
enormous weaknesses, the people's cultures are still traditionally
community-based, festive, fraternal and marked by solidarity.

The Lutheran church leaders affirmed a growing awareness that
neo-liberalism is "impossible to maintain" and "change is
necessary," not only at local or national but also on global
level. They called on their communities to study and analyze the
fundamental facts of the neo-liberal economic model, actively
support respect for human rights, and engage in defending human
life and the ecosystem.

The COP representatives proposed making globalization and its
consequences a hermeneutic perspective in addressing the LWF
Assembly theme "For the Healing of the World."

(Contributed by Agencia Latinoamericana y Caribena de Comunicacion
- Latin American and Caribbean Communication Agency, ALC.)

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical 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 information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). 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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