WCC chief backs food for all campaign
-28/11/05
The pressing issue of global food secu
WCC chief backs food for all campaign
-28/11/05
The pressing issue of global food security must be addressed ìfrom a justice perspectiveî, the head of the World Council of Churches told a conference to galvanise a world development campaign in Germany this weekend.
In the face of serious famines in Africa, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia said it was vital ìnot only [to] ensure that people have food, but that their livelihoods and dignity are protectedî, while also safeguarding the environment.
The WCC general secretary was speaking at the opening worship of the 47th Bread for the World (Brot fuer die Welt) campaign.
Preaching in Herrnhut, Germany, on 27 November 2005, the first Sunday of Advent, Dr Kobia affirmed the ìecclesial legacy of distributive justice as a basis for humanitarian assistance.î
Churches ìhave always […] been engaged in the sharing of resources for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger,î he said. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his followers that those who feed the hungry have fed him.
Kobia said that ìthere is enough food for everyone in the world,î but that ìsome 800 million starving people [across the globeî are hungry ìbecause they do not have the purchasing capacity to buy foodî.
He concluded that Christians should therefore ìquestion the dominant economic paradigmî that ìplaces all trust on the market to solve hungerî.
The 47th campaign meeting of Bread for the World, a German evangelical aid agency created in 1959, which currently supports more than 1000 projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, has as its theme: ìGod’s rules for a just worldî (ìGottes Spielregeln fur eine gerechte Weltî).
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of national churches, now 347 in number, in more than 120 countries across all continents and from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but works cooperatively with the WCC.
[Also on Ekklesia: Aid agencies warn of Southern Africa food crisis; Christian agencies act on West Africa drought crisis; Churches work together on Niger famine]
WCC chief backs food for all campaign
-28/11/05
The pressing issue of global food security must be addressed ‘from a justice perspective’, the head of the World Council of Churches told a conference to galvanise a world development campaign in Germany this weekend.
In the face of serious famines in Africa, the Rev Dr Samuel Kobia said it was vital ‘not only [to] ensure that people have food, but that their livelihoods and dignity are protected’, while also safeguarding the environment.
The WCC general secretary was speaking at the opening worship of the 47th Bread for the World (Brot fuer die Welt) campaign.
Preaching in Herrnhut, Germany, on 27 November 2005, the first Sunday of Advent, Dr Kobia affirmed the ‘ecclesial legacy of distributive justice as a basis for humanitarian assistance.’
Churches ‘have always […] been engaged in the sharing of resources for the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger,’ he said. In the Gospel, Jesus tells his followers that those who feed the hungry have fed him.
Kobia said that ‘there is enough food for everyone in the world,’ but that ‘some 800 million starving people [across the globe’ are hungry ‘because they do not have the purchasing capacity to buy food’.
He concluded that Christians should therefore ‘question the dominant economic paradigm’ that ‘places all trust on the market to solve hunger’.
The 47th campaign meeting of Bread for the World, a German evangelical aid agency created in 1959, which currently supports more than 1000 projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, has as its theme: ‘God’s rules for a just world’ (‘Gottes Spielregeln fur eine gerechte Welt’).
The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of national churches, now 347 in number, in more than 120 countries across all continents and from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member, but works cooperatively with the WCC.
[Also on Ekklesia: Aid agencies warn of Southern Africa food crisis; Christian agencies act on West Africa drought crisis; Churches work together on Niger famine]