[California] Religious leaders, activists unveil covenant, rally against poverty

from Catholic Online

By Ben Gruver

WASHINGTON – Several hundred community and faith leaders along with religious activists from around the nation marched in Washington June 27 to fight against poverty.

The event celebrated the unveiling of the Covenant for a New America, a faith-based strategy for overcoming poverty.

The march and a related conference were hosted by Sojourners and Call to Renewal, a national network of churches, faith-based organizations and individuals working to overcome poverty in America.

Twenty-three national religious groups and religious leaders endorsed the covenant.

Among other things, the document aims to bring people from all religious and political backgrounds together so they can hold each other accountable for ending poverty. One goal is to develop a plan to cut child poverty in half over the next 10 years.

Among those endorsing the covenant was Sister Marge Clark, a Sister of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary who is a lobbyist with Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby whose mission is to bring about economic justice. Sister Clark said she was proud to sign the covenant.

Jean Sammon, an organizer with Network, said the organization follows the Catholic social teaching principle of addressing the structures that affect poor people.

Sister Carole Shinnick, a School Sister of Notre Dame who is executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, said her organization also endorsed the covenant because it is consistent with LCWR's positions on poverty.

"Since 1727 when the first (Catholic sisters) arrived in this country, we consistently stood with the marginalized and the poor, especially women and children, and this document that we are endorsing is consistent with that position," Sister Shinnick, a speaker at the event, said.

The protesters marched to Upper Senate Park at the U.S. Capitol from the National City Christian Church, chanting as they went: "In God's name, make poverty history," "Raise minimum wage," and "Make work work."

The message of religious and government leaders who spoke at the park was clear: "Make poverty history."

Rev. Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners and author of God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It, said the poor are the new interest group in Washington.

"Poverty is God's special interest," Rev. Wallis said.

"This place (Congress) will be judged on how they treat (the poor)," he said.

Rev. Wallis urged the faith community to eliminate poverty.

"As long as they (political leaders) make bad decisions, we will have to tell them what the decisions ought to be," Rev. Wallis said.

Rev. Wallis urged the audience to "be a special interest group on Capitol Hill."

Rev. David Beckmann, a Lutheran minister and president of Bread for the World, a Christian anti-hunger lobby, said his organization is glad to be endorsing the covenant.

"We people of faith are here to wake up our political leaders and say here is what God is calling us to tell them," he told the crowd.

Kevin Hunter, vice president of domestic programs at World Vision, mentioned three of the covenant's core points his organization welcomes and feels are important to endorse:

- The covenant unites faith communities on common ground.

- It promotes biblical justice.

- It calls supporters to use persuasion for ending poverty.