Faith leaders' plea for poverty

The leaders call for poverty and hunger to be halved in 10 years

Faith leaders have written to Prime Minister Tony Blair urging him to press for radical commitments to end world poverty, ahead of the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Here is the letter in full.

Dear Prime Minister,

We are taking this opportunity to share with you some of our hopes and concerns as senior religious leaders, about key issues that confront the Gleneagles summit which you will be chairing early next month.

We start from the reality that at the heart of our three great Abrahamic faiths, stands a shared vision of what is owed by right to those who are most in need.

A world divided by poverty cannot be healed without justice Joint letter

For Christian, Jew, and Muslim alike, a world that fails to offer a full measure of compassionate justice to all our brothers and sisters, whoever and wherever they may be, is a world that is failing to meet God's design for humanity.

The vision we hold as religious leaders and communities is not ours alone. It is shared by other faiths and by governments, groups, and individuals throughout the world. And yet, when we look round that world, we cannot claim to be living out the vision we proclaim. Thirty thousand avoidable deaths, day after day, is evidence enough.

The UK's chairing of the G8, along with its Presidency of the EU, require and challenge Britain to play the fullest part now in seeking to change the structures and practices that result in suffering and privation. We hope and pray that the opportunity will be grasped with urgency.

The security and wellbeing of all the nations depend on the security and wellbeing of each nation. A world divided by poverty cannot be healed without justice.

By speaking together now, we commit ourselves and encourage others ... to embrace what we believe to be a God-given vision for our world Joint letter

That means cancelling the debt of the poorest nations, and we welcome the recent steps in that direction that have been agreed by the world's wealthiest nations. But it also means changing the terms of international trade to allow developing countries to make the most of their trading potential; it means using our own wealth and prosperity to the benefit of all; it means promoting good governance for every citizen; it means not impoverishing and depleting the planet God has entrusted to our stewardship.

We urge the leaders at the Gleneagles summit to use their huge power and influence to meet the clear goals that have been set by the international community: halving extreme poverty and hunger in the next decade; reducing infant mortality by two thirds. We must treat these as solid commitments not as flags in the wind.

In our own communities, we have to meet the challenges through active example, advocacy and prayer. By speaking together now, we commit ourselves and encourage others, especially the leaders who will gather at Gleneagles, to embrace what we believe to be a God-given vision for our world.

Yours sincerely,

Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster
David Coffey, Free Churches Moderator
Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
Zaki Badawi, Chair of the Council of Mosques & Imams.