Leaders representing some of the largest Christian bodies in the world joined to say that the Church should engage in partnerships with governments in the fight against poverty. The call came just one day ahead of the U.N. World Summit in New York which will commence today, where political leaders will consider measures to halve poverty by 2015.
Over 30 Christian leaders from various denominations and traditions gathered in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 11-13 for the "Consultation of International Religious Leaders" conference to sign a communiqué that was delivered to the United Nations on Tuesday, affirming that churches were prepared to take on the challenge.
There were more than 1,400 attendants gathered at Washington National Cathedral for a public gathering on Sunday that included speakers and services. Private discussions were held on the last two days of the event.
“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 leaders affirmed in the communiqué titled “A Call to Partnership.”
“The Churches have a vast network of institutions, trusted relationships with millions of people, and access to countless local communities, all rich resources for development,” they continued.
U.N. efforts to reduce poverty worldwide have found a receptive audience among Christian churches and organisations. Tuesday’s communiqué by leaders from denominational and worldwide bodies also corresponds with previous Christian efforts to call churches to action.
In 2004, a Christian led campaign called the Micah Challenge aligned itself with the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015.
The signatories to the communiqué lamented that even as the world experienced unprecedented economic growth, one-sixth of the world’s people still fight for daily survival under extreme poverty. They called the increasing concentration of wealth in the world, while many suffer, “a scandal that impoverishes us all.”
The leaders noted that the compelling force behind the efforts to combat poverty was faith, and obedience to God.
“In faith and obedience to God, and in humility, we are compelled to be agents of hope, doers of justice, and lovers of kindness,” the communiqué declared, calling on churches and governments to use their particular strengths in partnerships to promote the cause of poverty reduction by 2015 as outlined in the MDGs.
“These targets of basic material well-being can only be reached in the context of peace, human rights, environmental sustainability, and gender equity.”
Governments were urged to action to help “the needs of the most vulnerable.”
The statement enumerated seven actions that governments should take. They were called to create a just society by insuring human rights; build partnerships with churches and religious organisations; fight government corruption; cancel crushing debt for extremely poor countries; increase assistance to help nations develop; promote fair trading; and provide security from armed conflicts in order to prevent sowing the seeds of future discord.
The communiqué acknowledged that churches and faith-based organizations were working in communities worldwide to combat poverty, often transcending denominational and faith lines to engage in productive works.
“At its best, this work acknowledges the leadership of persons in poverty, engages poor communities as partners in human development, moves us to work across denominational and faith lines, and brings us into productive partnerships with governments and the private sector.”
However, the statement reminded churches that without new strategic partnerships such as those aforementioned, the world would come up short in fulfilling the goals of the Millennium Declaration.
The signatories offered their help in order to make the goals reality “as a crucial step toward a more just world for all of God’s children.”
Among the signatories to the statement were leaders from The World Evangelical Alliance, World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the World Methodist Council, The Lutheran World Federation, the Anglican Communion Consultative Council, and the All Africa Conference of Churches.
The event was sponsored by the Center for Global Justice and Reconciliation (CGJR), an initiative by the Washington National Cathedral to provide an Anglican Communion-wide focus on global justice and reconciliation.
The following is a full list of the Signers of the Communiqué from Participants in the Consultation of Religious Leaders on Global Poverty:
The Rt. Rev. George Leonard Carey
Retired Archbishop of Canterbury
The Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis
Theological Advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on Environmental Issues, Greek Orthodox Church
The Rev. Randolph Dales
Chairman of the Standing Commission on Anglican & International Peace with Justice Concerns
The Rev. George Freeman
General Secretary of the World Methodist Council
The Rev. Canon Brian Grieves
Director of Peace and Justice Ministries, ECUSA
The Rt. Rev. Tord Harlin
Bishop of Uppsala
Ms. Wahu Kaara
Ecumenical Millenium Development Goal Programme Coordinator, AACC
