Poverty is the Moral Equivalent to Weapons of Mass Destruction, Says Kobia
The WCC General Secretary met with the Brazilian Vice President to discuss poverty, small arms, racism and climate change
Poverty was at the top of the agenda during the encounter between the World Council of Churches’ General Secretary and the Brazilian Vice-President, at Brasilia, Brazil, on Nov. 5, 2004.
"I would say that poverty is the moral equivalent to weapons of mass destruction, given that poverty kills more humans than those weapons do," said general secretary Samuel Kobia.
Kobia, who began his month-long Latin America trip on Nov. 1, applauded the Brazilian government’s effort against poverty as “inspiring” and said the methods should serve as an example for other countries.
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The Brazilian vice-president Jose Alencar agreed with Kobia’s assessment of poverty as the “worst of all violence,” and emphasized the need to create better living conditions on all regions of the earth so every nation can develop its natural and human potential.
Going onto the debate over firearms, Kobia said small weapons have consequences “that are comparable to a war.”
“While one country is not pitted against another, they cost an enormous number of human lives each year," said Kobia, who again applauded the disarmament initiative of the Brazilian government.
Other church members also in attendance included Methodist Bishop Adriel de Souza Maia, the president of the National Council of Churches of Brazil (CONIC); and Lutheran Pastor Ervino Schmidt, the general secretary of CONIC.
The two heads of CONIC took the time also to request of Alencar a one-year extension of the public Voluntary Disarmament Campaign that is currently slated to close on December 23.
“The media campaign did not have the hoped for impact" and therefore there is a need for more time to bring the population on board,” explained the CONIC members. Moreover the requested extension will allow "hundreds, even thousands" of churches to participate in the Campaign.
Meanwhile, Kobia shared his concerns about racism, climate change, and indigenous people’s rights, and said the WCC would willingly accompany churches working toward healing the nation. Kobia also invited Alencar and the Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio to the ninth WCC Assembly which will take place in Porto Alegre in February 2006.
The WCC general secretary's visit to Latin American continues in Brazil (Salvador, Porto Alegre), Argentina (Buenos Aires), Uruguay (Montevideo) and Chile (Santiago). Prior to his visit to Brazil, Kobia stayed in Bolivia.
