Religious Leaders Say Global Poverty Has No Borders
Some 40 religious leaders from around the world convened at the Washington National Cathedral Sept. 11-12 for one of the largest assemblages of its kind.
Correction Appended
WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the ONE Campaign gave voice to Americans on the issue of extreme poverty, a recent landmark gathering of international religious leaders tackled the matter on a larger global scale.
Some 40 religious leaders from around the world convened at the Washington National Cathedral Sept. 11-12 for one of the largest assemblages of its kind. The Consultation of International Religious Leaders on Global Poverty extended the invitation to leaders of worldwide Christian denominations from both hemispheres as well as representatives of Islam and Judaism to discuss the church's role in ending extreme poverty and supporting the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals.
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"The issue of poverty is an issue that has no borders," said the Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, to the Christian Post when commenting on the participation from both the North and the South.
With greater involvement from the global South, including South Africa, Kenya and Zimbabwe, Noko said, "Participation from the South is a necessity."
He further noted that it enables those from the South to be the voices of those living in poverty.
"It's a very urgent matter," he continued. "Poverty undermines the dignity of people and it creates a state of hopelessness."
Participating leaders took on the urgent issue of global poverty by drafting a communiqué to present to the United Nations on Tuesday, the day before the start of the World Summit in New York. In a denominational and collaborative action, the statement complements the continuing worldwide advocacy against global poverty as religious leaders add their voices to world leaders and members of the United Nations who have and will address the issue.
When asked what he wants to see included in the communiqué, Noko said that the most crucial factor in this action against poverty is "that the governments of the world are willing to cooperate with the religious communities in addressing this."
"Poverty is global," he said, "so it requires global action. It's necessary."
The Millennium Development Goals were adopted in September 2000 by over 150 world leaders. This week's Sept. 14-16 summit will evaluate the progress towards the U.N. Millennium Declaration, which includes halving extreme poverty by 2015.
Correction: Sept. 13, 2005, Tuesday:
An article on Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2005, about a gathering of international religious leaders at the Washington National Cathedral incorrectly stated that the leaders would present a communique to the United Nations at the World Summit. The leaders are to present the draft to the United Nations on Tuesday, the day before the start of the World Summit - not during the summit.
