Female Clergy Unite to Fight Poverty in Make Poverty History Campaign

In a exciting new initiative, female clergy from 150 various charities, unions and faith groups across England and Wales will unite to confront Tony Blair and world leaders across the globe, to bring about trade justice, increased aid and cancellation of debts of some of the world’s most poor and desperate countries.

Christian Aid reported, "The churches have been the backbone of virtually every major campaign against mass poverty over the last eight years or so."

The historical gathering will take place on Thursday 13 January, and will see a huge diversity of organisations and female clergy from England and Wales coming together for the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign.

Christian Aid, one of the lading instigators of the event described the operation as "a real life campaign that is asking the UK public to send a white band message to the government urging them to make changes around debt, trade and aid that keep poor countries poor."

The gathering will commence in Trafalgar Square at St. Martin in the Fields. Television celebrities such as Dawn French have given their full backing to the campaign, which will see female clergy trade-in for the day their dog collars for the campaign’s symbol; a white band.

During the meeting prayers will be held for those caught up in the tragedy of the Asian and Africa Tsunami disaster, which has seen more than 150,000 killed and millions more made homeless, and pushed into the despair of poverty.

St. Paul’s Cathedrals Canon, Lucy Winkett said, "To gather as Christians for a campaign such as ‘Make Poverty History’ is to affirm that God is somehow present even in the long-term poverty that goes unreported in the media."

She continued, "We find in our determination to eradicate poverty, that we are brought together as human beings across all boundaries."

For more information on the gathering and on the yearlong MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign, please click here