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Church
Ministry Office A Summary of the Problem If someone borrows money, they should pay it back, right? At first glance, this seems like an ethical principle upon which everyone can agree. But suppose that meeting this standard means that the borrower must forego education, health care, even food - to the point of starvation? Multiply this scenario by one billion people and the ethics become even more complicated. Yet this is the situation that has faced the world's poorest people in developing countries for the past twenty years or so. And without dramatic changes, it could literally continue - and worsen - indefinitely. Though it receives little media attention in the U.S., the world's poorest 45 to 50 countries owe billions of dollars for so-called development loans to institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and interregional development banks. Rather than helping the poor to increase their standard of living, these funds have often gone into highly questionable infrastructure projects. Worse yet, billions of dollars have ended up in the personal bank accounts of despotic rulers; alleged offenders include Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, and former President Suharto of Indonesia, both deposed by popular uprising. What has resulted are foreign debts so staggering that many countries are incapable of servicing the interest on their obligations, let alone reducing the principal. As developing countries toil under this burden, their economies stagnate and their domestic spending evaporates. In Nicaragua, for instance, the debt burden amounts to some $3,000 per person, many times the per capita GNP; unemployment hovers around 60%, and many go hungry. Sadly, it is the poor who pay the greatest price. It is in response to their suffering that Pope John Paul II, along with a growing international movement, has called for debt cancellation for the worst afflicted countries. In fact, this issue WAS a central theme of Catholic social teaching around the Jubilee Year. It continues to be a top priority for the Department of Social Development World Peace. You can join your voice with the Holy Father's and the U.S. Catholic bishops' to bring relief to poor nations afflicted by debt! Find out more about the debt crisis, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. On a local level, the Western New York Coalition for Debt Relief has been organized to promote education about this pressing need and support for the legislative action to reduce or forgive this debt. The Coalition is composed of representatives from the LCWR, the Sisters of Mercy, the Diocesan Peace and Justice Commission, Catholic Charities, and the Western New York Peace Center and Church Women United. The members of this coalition are available for presentations to parishes and schools. Consider hosting a video/discussion group. The following internet sites are also helpful. EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES are available through many of these organizations and through the Diocese of Buffalo's Office of Church Ministry at (716) 847-5531 or email at kheffern@buffalodiocese.org.
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