Archive
Press Releases
Religious Leaders Say Spiritual Approach to Financial Crisis Needed
Fourth Summit of Religious Leaders on the Occasion of the G8 in Italy Ends
June 19, 2009
On the eve of this year's G8 summit to be held in July in L´Aquila, Italy, 130 high-ranking religious leaders held their fourth multifaith gathering from June 16 to 18 in Rome. They called upon G8 leaders to "steer an ethical path" and ensure in the current worldwide financial and economic crisis the equitable sharing by all human beings of the earth's resources.
Präses Nikolaus Schneider, head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Rhineland and member of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), reiterated the "Call from Cologne" issued by the World Summit of Religious Leaders in 2007and, deeply concerned by the catastrophic plight of African boat people, in southern Italy especially, pleaded for humane treatment of refugees and an immediate stop to deportations toward Libya.
In his opening speech Präses Schneider called for greater collaboration among religions in promoting awareness that a humane society is part of God's creation. "Such a society needs security; it must be rooted in fundamental values and foster the development of a just and sustainable global community in which everyone has their proper share." He went on to say that religions cannot exercise power or resort to political violence. "Their mission is to facilitate and promote the humanization of our societies."
The summit ended with an "Appeal from Rome" in which participants urged attention to the fact that "immigration is growing and ecological pressure may greatly accelerate it." In view of the international financial and economic crisis, the religious leaders urged governments to close down the overseas offshore banking system and to continue striving toward the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Religious leaders from all continents attended the gathering, including Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church; His Holiness Abune Paulos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church; Homi Dhalla (India), president of the Zoroastrians; Archbishop Gérard Defois (France), president of Justice and Peace Europe; the chair of the state-sanctioned Protestant churches in China Fu Xian Wei; Domenico Maselli, President of the Federation of Evangelical Churches (Italy), Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller (Regensburg, Germany); Rabbi Mordechai Piron (Israel); Chief Rabbi em. Seitaro Nakajima (Japan) and Andrea Riccardi, founder of the Community of Sant'Egidio.
Hanover, June 19, 2009
Press Office of the EKD
Silke Römhild