Ecumenical Conference on Poverty, Wealth and Ecology
Daar es Salam, Tanzania
Poor people, like this internally displaced young woman in Chad, are hardest hit by environmental problems such as the lack of clean water. Photo: ACT International
The consultation is a continuation of a process which was started at the WCC 8th Assembly in Harare in 1998 and became known as Alternative Globalization Addressing People and Earth (AGAPE) since the 9th Assembly in Porto Alegre. Ten years later, the issue of socio-economic justice is no less pressing. Especially in Africa, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened, with destructive consequences for peace and for the environment.
Discussions in Dar es Salaam will help to draw a "greed line" as practical guidance to Christians regarding sources of growth - such as speculation or expropriation - and the level or ratio of wealth accumulation that are unethical. The theological methodology will emphasize African concepts like "Ubuntu" as well as the theology of peace in the market.
Similar church encounters are to take place on other continents before the next WCC assembly. Recognizing that there can be no peace without justice, these encounters also inform the International Ecumenical Peace Convocation which will conclude the Decade to Overcome Violence in 2011.
Theologians, women and youth participants will inform the consultation with their experiences working on the issue of poverty, wealth and ecology at three preparatory hearings on 5-6 November. More stakeholders representing the diversity of Africa and the rest of the world will join the consultation subsequently, bringing it to a total of fifty participants.
Report of the consultation (in English or in French).
A Study on wealth, creation, poverty and ecology in Africa (click here for the French version of this document)
More information on the WCC and Poverty, wealth and ecology
