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CAMPAIGN AGAINST POVERTY LAUNCHED
Newfoundland Archbishop Supports www.candidatesagainstpoverty.ca
(St. John’s) Archbishop Martin Currie, Roman Catholic Archbishop of St.
John’s welcomed the leaders of most Christian churches and many leaders from non Christian world religions to the historic Episcopal Library on September 11 to launch a campaign against poverty in this province, this country and the world.
The campaign spearheaded by The Religious Social Action Coalition of Newfoundland & Labrador was established to coincide with the federal election.
The Coalition is made up churches from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. John’s, Roman Catholic diocese of Grand Falls, Anglican Diocese of Eastern N&L; Jewish Community Havura of NL; The Presbyterian Church of NL; Hindu Temple, St. John's; Salvation Army, Muslim Association of NL; and the the United Church of Canada.
Speaking to those gathered for the press conference Archbishop Currie said that there is evidence of poverty in St. John’s demonstrated by the need for such institutions as the Gathering Place - a soup kitchen and social space that is operated by the Mercy and Presentation Sisters in St. John’s and the need for food banks for the poor and working poor in almost every church in the city.
In the past he said the Roman Catholic Bishops of Canada were told by government to stay out of economics - that they knew nothing about economics. “It may be true that we do not know about economics “ he said “ but we talk to the poor and know what their lives are like. “
Quoting from a message by Pope Benedict to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization on 2 June 2008 - Archbishop Currie said "Poverty and malnutrition are not a simple fatality, provoked by adverse environmental situations or by disastrous natural calamities. ... the scandal of poverty reveals the inadequacy of current systems of human coexistence in promoting the realization of the common good. This imposes the need for reflection on the deep roots of material poverty and, consequently, also on spiritual poverty which makes man indifferent to the suffering of others.”
Mr. Arnold Bennet from the Jewish Community Havura of Newfoundland and Labrador told those gathered that the launching of the website www.candidatesagainstpoverty.ca was an opportunity for all Canadian politicians to reflect on the positions that they have taken on the issues that surround poverty. All candidates must commit to work to eliminate poverty in Canada and the world and then affirm their support for nine other positions that are outlined in the questions on the website.
Canadians wanting to see what positions that their particular candidate has taken on issues of poverty can go to www.candidatesagainstpoverty.ca and based on their response make a decision to support them or not.
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