Religious leaders call on G-8 nations to end poverty

A UMNS photo by Sarah Alsgaard "We can stop extreme poverty," Bishop Peter Weaver says at the June 27 press briefing.

By Erik Alsgaard*

WASHINGTON (UMNS)—For the first time in history, human beings have the ability to eradicate poverty from the face of the earth, leaders of several religious and faith-based groups in the United States said at a June 27 press conference.

United Methodist Bishop Peter Weaver was among the leaders who spoke at the conference, held right before the group traveled to London for the first Transatlantic Forum on Global Poverty. The forum is being held just ahead of the Group of Eight Summit.

“Now is the time when people are coming together, and we can stop extreme poverty,” said Weaver, president of the United Methodist Council of Bishops and leader of the church’s Boston Area. “The first objective Jesus announced for his ministry was announcing ‘good news to the poor,’ quoting from Isaiah in Luke 4:18.

“An historic convergence of commitment and strategies to end extreme poverty is emerging all around the world,” Weaver said. “The G-8 Religious Forum calls on the G-8 nations to boldly take the next steps needed to end poverty in this generation.”

The G-8 comprises governmental leaders from Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia. It will meet July 6-8 in Gleneagles, Scotland.

The three-day London Forum will include a meeting with British Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown to discuss the “political implications of alleviating global poverty,” according to a press statement issued by Sojourners, a co-convener of the forum.

The forum concludes June 29 with a meeting at Lambeth Palace, hosted by Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. American and British religious leaders are expected to meet for several hours.

During the press conference, held at the National Press Club, the ecumenical leaders called upon President George Bush to “take up the challenge” to make poverty history. The leaders represent nearly 62 million people of faith in the United States.

A UMNS photo by Sarah Alsgaard "The world lacks the moral and political will to eradicate poverty," says Jim Wallis, convener of Call to Renewal.

Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action, noted during the press conference that poverty kills more people every week around the world than the Dec. 26, 2004, tsunami.

“Every day, about 29,000 innocent people die as the result of poverty,” he said, “and we hardly notice. There are many biblical verses that call us to take care of the poor. The United States gives only 0.2 percent of its gross national product to help. God demands that we double and redouble our efforts.”

The Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World, noted that the United States, contributing $2 billion or $3 billion per year, could wipe out poverty in a generation.

“This amounts to about one-half of what we spend on Iraq every week,” he said. “For $3 billion, we could cut poverty in half by 2015, eradicate malaria and save one million lives. Poverty is no longer necessary.”

Several speakers praised the Bush administration for its support and stance on debt relief and the promise of more aid to Africa. However, they said, more could be done.

“We are not here to make Bush the villain,” Beckmann said, “he has a strong record on Africa. But he can be great on this issue.”

Beckmann called on the president to fight Congress for the money already promised on these issues, and to commit “beyond token gestures” to addressing needs related to hunger, health and trade.

“The Bush administration is listening” to the needs of the poor, said the Rev. Rich Cizik, vice president for government affairs of the National Association of Evangelicals. “We would like to see the administration turn a good record into a great record on Africa.”

Speakers at the press briefing stressed the unity being shown by the diverse religious groups.

“Many, many denominations have similar programs already in place to address poverty,” Weaver said in an interview. As an example, he cited the United Methodist Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty. “Now is the time when people are coming together, and we can stop extreme poverty. An historic convergence of commitment and strategies to end extreme poverty is emerging all around the world.

“What this is providing is an opportunity to be collaborative beyond our denominational boundaries and to really join in this one effort that’s bringing together both faith communities as well as secular interests, as well as people like Bono, to address the matter of poverty and to end it in this generation,” Weaver said. “When God’s people are mobilized, great things can happen.”

Bono, lead singer of U2, is cofounder of DATA (debt, AIDS, trade, Africa) and will be performing in one of the Live 8 concerts—a series of international shows aimed at focusing attention on poverty in Africa.

Weaver said he was going to London with the “extra memory” of it being the birthplace of Methodism, the movement led by John Wesley in the 18th century.

“The issue of hopelessness, which we didn’t talk a lot about at this press conference, is one that I believe is at the center of the good news of Christ, which brings hope as well as brings together a community where there’s just sharing of economic resources,” he said.  “John Wesley was very committed to that kind of communal sharing of resources that everyone was cared for.”

*Alsgaard is managing editor of the UMConnection newspaper and co-director of communications for the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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Suggested Resources UMC.org Poverty theme page Council of Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty About Our Church: Poverty Poverty and Hunger Resources Call to Renewal Bread for the World Evangelicals for Social Action DATA