Monks and nuns take their fight against poverty to Westminster

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by Tania Branigan

Even New Labour MPs may know enough of Marx to recall that he described religion as the opium of the people.

If so, they were in for a shock yesterday. The 1,000 monks, nuns and friars who descended on Westminster were more of an adrenaline shot for the body politic.

The brothers and sisters from Anglican and Roman Catholic orders were lobbying their MPs - in humble but determined manner - to support the Make Poverty History campaign.

Usually security officers put out crash barriers when a mass delegation of activists heads for parliament. Yesterday the fluorescent-jacketed staff were busy loading them back on to lorries as the campaigners streamed towards the Commons.
The visit, organised by the Catholic aid agency Cafod, came as Jack Straw used a speech in Washington to urge the US to support British plans to alleviate Africa's plight.

The event could easily have been dominated by empty piety and self-righteousness.

But parliamentarians were swiftly deflated by sharp questions and sharper facts: a woman dies in childbirth every minute; 150 million children are malnourished; 1.1 billion people have no safe water.

"We must not be satisfied with answers that are words, words and more words," Sister Pat Robb - who initiated the visit - had warned her fellow campaigners.

"The fact that so many people in this world live in abject poverty is a scandal. The fact that it's so often caused by us in the west, as we use limited natural resources and labour to maintain our unsustainable lifestyle, is totally unacceptable."

In his brown, cowled habit, girded by a simple rope belt, Brother Michael O'Kane would not have looked out of place in Westminster Hall when it was first built in the 11th century.

But while the Franciscan friar's clothing might reinforce stereotypes of unworldly churchmen, he explained that he does not always wear the robe; it tends to be tricky when nursing, or playing football with refugee children.

These campaigners have worked with Aids victims, street sleepers, malnourished families and drug addicts, in inner cities here and slums around the world.

Yesterday's lobbying was, to them, the logical development of this practical service. "Poverty is more than looking at skinny babies and helping to feed people, " said Sister Ursula Sharpe.

"It is bigger than that: it's about trade and debt."

Sister Pat, of the Congregation of Jesus, had short shrift for anyone who believed that religion and politics did not mix.

"Jesus was political," she said tartly. "He turned the moneylenders out of the temple."

Nor did she accept that the Catholic church might have contributed to Africa's problems.

"People always want to bring up Aids and condoms, but people go on the streets because they haven't got food. Let's get to the root of the problem: removing poverty," she said.

Whether or not one agrees, it is hard to argue with the fact that the church provides 40% of healthcare in some developing countries.

Christianity and Marxism have rarely been on friendly terms, but the activists might concede the philosopher was half right about religion. He also dubbed it "the heart of a heartless world".