Hundreds of Religious urge MPs to prioritise global hunger

'Hunger shouldn't be a habit'

More than 250 members of religious orders, priests and lay associates lobbied their members of parliament to push for action on global hunger, yesterday, as part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign. Organised by CAFOD - in conjunction with JPIC Religious Links, the Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network, Progressio and others - the lobby came ahead of June’s G8 summit which is held in the UK only once every eight years. The participants, with their vast experience of living and working in developing countries, raised with politicians the reasons why one in eight people worldwide go hungry, and challenged them to respond. The key message was that there is enough food in the world to feed the global family if some systemic changes take place, such as more investment in smallholder agriculture, more transparency and accountability of big corporations, and measures to tackle tax dodging. Nutrition should be prioritised at the G8 hunger summit on 8 June, a day that coincides with an IF ecumenical service and mass rally in London.

Bishop John Arnold, auxiliary in Westminster and CAFOD Chair, welcomed the assembling lobbyists by saying he was “impressed to see such a voice coming from the religious of England and Wales”. He felt religious have an authority “because of the way you live your lives”. Bishop Pat Lynch, auxiliary in Southwark, was also present to give the lobby his support. In his address, Dominican Fr Timothy Radcliffe said that “religious life is globalised, with orders based in favelas and working with marginalised people all around the world”. He felt that, “as religious we know this extraordinary and compelling truth, that no one can flourish unless we all do”. Pointing out that every day, 24,000 people die of starvation and one in eight goes hungry, he said religious are called to defend people “excluded from the table of humanity”. CAFOD Director Chris Bain welcomed CAFOD partners present from Congo, Guatemala and the Philippines, who were warmly applauded, and he thanked religious for their long-term mission to tackle injustices by saying, “you have rolled up your sleeves to address poverty”.

Then participants moved to the Houses of Parliament, waving placards carrying the names of their religious orders. They included Salesians, Servites, Carmelites, Columbans, Dominicans, Franciscans, Srs of St Joseph of Annecy, Srs of Charity, Srs of Mercy, Srs of St Brigid, and Consolata Missionary Sisters. Among them was Sr Vianney Connolly, an Ursuline Sister who has been a volunteer in the North Wales CAFOD office for 25 years, and Sr Pat Robb, a lobby organiser from the Congregation of Jesus, active in East Anglia Diocese, who said: “it’s an appalling scandal that there’s so much hunger in the world; I’ve worked as a nurse in refugee camps and have seen many children with malnutrition and adults dying from starvation”. The traffic in Parliament Square came to a standstill at times, amidst the colourful procession.

They reassembled in the historic Westminster Hall, and formed smaller groups to meet individual MPs. More than 40 MPs met their constituents, including Sarah Teather MP, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Stephen Timms MP and Glenda Jackson MP. There were several short addresses to the whole gathering by prominent politicians. Rt Hon Alan Duncan, a Minister of State in the Department for International Development, said: “we need you because there are plenty of others who feel we should not be spending more money on the needy of the world”. He was cheeered when he underlined that, “this is the year Britain will hit its target of spending 0.7% of national income on international development aid, and added that the British Government would be championing nutrition at the G8 meeting on Food in London on 8 June. “Last year we went to the Vatican with a team of ministers” he said, “and we recognise the Catholic Church as a great network which will help us coordinate our efforts to make the world a better place”.

The Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Ivan Lewis MP, said it was “great to meet people who care so much for the world’s poorest people” and he described CAFOD’s work as “inspirational”. Alongside him was Opposition leader the Rt Hon Ed Milliband who said: “it is a privilege to address you in this historic hall, and indeed it is my first time speaking here”. He spoke of CAFOD as a “fantastic organisation that has changed lives around the world” and thanked the religious for being part of great initiatives such as ‘Make Poverty History’ and ‘Jubilee 2000’ which progressed human development. He added that “I warmly endorse the IF campaign, and thank you for being here to keep up the pressure on us and remind us of our moral obligations to the rest of the world”. He was happy to stand with various religious groups for photographs, proudly wearing his IF wristband.

Fr Martin O’Hagen of the famous singing group, ‘The Priests’ was involved in a small group organised by CAFOD partner Trocaire to lobby Northern Ireland politicians. Afterwards, he described them as being “very sympathetic to the IF campaign”.

Speaking at a concluding liturgy Sr Gemma Simmonds told participants they should be “very proud of what we did today” adding that “it was important to walk and talk in the power of the spirit in Westminster Hall, and let’s all keep going”. Sarah Teather MP told them to “go away and feel motivated, and feel glad that you came”. She reported that many MPs will be saying that, “it was great to have those people lobby me about something really important”.

CAFOD reminded that a big show of people of faith is needed on 8 June to keep up the pressure on the Food issue. It was announced that Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, will attend an ecumenical service on that morning, followed by a walk of witness to Hyde Park and a mass rally, organised by all the member agencies of the IF Food coalition. CAFOD also reported that in MP feedback forms, submitted after the lobby, 81% of the MPs lobbied by the religious said they would do what had been asked for as part of the Enough Food for Everyone IF campaign.

Photos will be posted up soon at Columbans UK Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Columbans-UK/166928143326767?v=wall&filter=1

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