Speech at the G8 Meeting of Religious Leaders in |
In the name of Jesus Christ; the Word made flesh and Prince of Peace.
Firstly I bring greetings from the Archbishop of Canterbury who is praying for the success of this important gathering.
Before last year’s G8 meeting in Scotland we saw something of the potential of people of faith working together in a common cause to “Make Poverty History”. Members of other international communities such as professional scientists have hitherto been rather more successful in establishing world-wide institutions and networks of communication in our new wired-up world. The churches and the other faith communities are only at the beginning of this process but our potential and therefore our responsibility is huge. The Russian Orthodox Church is to be congratulated for making such a significant contribution to this process.
We have a presence in all the countries of the G8 but also in the poorest countries of the world. By demonstrating a solidarity which transcends national boundaries we can enlarge the room for manoeuvre so that sympathetic politicians in democratic countries can act. Concern for the poor is common ground for most of our traditions of faith and last year’s meetings and demonstrations showed that we can turn that passion into effective pressure on governments to make commitments that really make a difference. Now we must not relax but let the politicians know that we are watching what they do. They made promises – now they must make them good.
July 4th this year is the 230th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence published by the founding fathers of the American Republic in their successful bid to break away from the British Empire. The Declaration presumes that all human beings have a right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Well being and happiness is not guaranteed by material abundance. Man does not live by bread alone. But the kind of poverty endured by many millions in our world leads to a life which is “nasty, brutish and short”.
Last Sunday was the anniversary of the Live 8 concerts which were heard by an estimated 3.4 billion people around the world. As officials were negotiating the preliminary documents before the summit proper began they could hear the cheerful but determined noise of hundreds of thousands of people on the streets and in the parks of London. Participants say that the result reached at the summit would never have been achieved without this great popular effort in which churches and other people of faith played a crucial role.
Focussing on Africa, the G 8 agreed to double aid; write off debts; train peacekeepers; boost investment in health and education; make AIDS drugs available to those in need.
An independent audit of these promises, the DATA Report 2006, appeared last week. The Anglican Archbishop of Capetown serves on the Advisory Board. The conclusion is that it would be wrong to be cynical about the progress which has been made. There has been widespread debt cancellation and some countries have increased aid but no progress has been made on securing more equitable terms of trade especially for African agricultural produce. It is well known that a 1% rise in Africa’s share of world trade would benefit the poor of the continent more than quintupling the aid budgets.
As a result of the changes, however, health care is now free in Zambia and when the Nigerian President was in London a fortnight ago he said that his country had been enabled to employ 150,000 new teachers.
The promises made last year are part of a campaign which extends to 2010. Leaders gathering in St Petersburg under the Russian Presidency need to know that we are watching and listening intently to what they are doing and saying.
For good reasons energy security is going to be one of the principal themes of this year’s G 8. Climate change, as a recent report from Christian Aid detailed, poses a particular threat to millions of poor subsistence farmers. It is all but universally agreed that there is an urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Church of England in common with other churches and faith groups is urgently seeking to “shrink its own ecological footprint”. Much useful material has been distributed and good work has been done. Now we look for allies and the opportunity to share best practice with others. We cannot merely lecture the world. Our rhetoric must be substantiated with a transformation in our own domain. The G8 likewise needs to set a carbon budget for its own members as well as promoting renewable energy technologies adapted for poorer communities.
July 5th is yet another anniversary of the beginning in 1943 of the battle of Kursk, a decisive turning point in modern European history against the forces of totalitarianism secured by Russian heroism and sacrifice. I pray that this gathering may also be seen in future years as something of a turning point as churches and other faith communities grow in self confidence and a sense of their call from God not to do battle on behalf of their own narrow interests but to be the conscience of the world and the hope of the poor.
