Religious leaders' G8 poverty plea
Press Association
Tuesday June 28, 2005 9:18 AM
Senior religious figures from the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths
have sent an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair, urging him to press
for a radical commitment to help the world's poorest countries
when he chairs next week's G8 summit.
The letter is signed by Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chair of the Council of Mosques and Imams Sheikh Zaki Badawi and Free Churches Moderator David Coffey.
It is the first time the faith leaders have spoken together publicly since their statement in March 2003 calling for peace ahead of the Iraq War.
But unlike that statement, the letter will prove welcome to the Prime Minister, who has put assistance for the poor countries of Africa at the top of the agenda for the Gleneagles summit of the G8 group of rich industrialised nations on July 6-8.
The letter urged all the leaders gathering in Perthshire to use their power to meet the internationally-agreed Millennium Development Goals of halving extreme poverty and cutting infant mortality by two-thirds by 2015.
The letter says: "The UK's chairing of the G8, along with its presidency of the EU, require and challenge Britain to play the fullest part now in seeking to change the structures and practices that result in suffering and deprivation.
"We hope and pray that the opportunity will be grasped with urgency.
"The security and well-being of all the nations depends on the security and well-being of each nation. A world divided by poverty cannot be healed without justice."
And it continues: "We urge all the leaders at the Gleneagles summit to use their huge power and influence to meet the clear goals that have been set by the international community: halving extreme poverty and hunger in the next decade; reducing infant mortality by two-thirds.
"We must treat these as solid commitments not as flags in the wind."
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