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May 5, 2009

Economic crisis destroying Caribbean safety net, say churches

by Ecumenical News International

GENEVA — A group of economists and church representatives from the Caribbean says the global economic crisis has provoked increased levels of crime and violence in the region and has led to the destruction of social safety nets.

Those at the four-day Jamaica meeting, sponsored by the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC), also called on the United States to lift its blockade against Cuba.

The president of WARC is the Rev. Clifton Kirkpatrick, former General Assembly stated clerk of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The Rev. Neal Presa, pastor of Middlesex (NJ) Presbyterian Church is chair of WARC’s Caribbean and North American Area Council (CANAAC) and was an official observer at the conference.

“The economic and financial crisis has spread its tentacles of death across the globe affecting every institution in society and threatening life,” WARC representatives said in a statement.

Representatives of Reformed churches from six Caribbean countries and the United States met in Ocho Rios, Jamaica April 22-25 to develop a Caribbean theology of life in response to economic and environmental challenges in the region.

The statement, issued on April 30, calls for a new economic model for the Caribbean based on regional experiences and draws particular attention to Cuba.

“We are inspired by the resilience and creativity of the Cuban people,” the statement says. “We continue to pray and advocate for the full lifting of the blockade against Cuba. We undergird the principle of Caribbean integration and reaffirm our commitment to playing our part in making it happen.”
 
Participants said the current economic crisis has the potential to put Caribbean countries back several decades and set the stage for unprecedented levels of social and political upheaval.

“We believe the Church must lead a process of transformation, mobilizing resources to effect sustainable change. Accordingly, the churches gathered at this consultation pledge to continue the process of confessing our faith in the face of economic injustice and ecological destruction at the local, regional and international levels,” the statement said.

The Rev. Nicole Ashwood of the Caribbean and North America Council for Mission said, “The consultation afforded the Caribbean church a fresh opportunity to add our voices to those who lobby for equity for all.”

The Reformed alliance said that economic injustice and ecological degradation have been a major concern since a meeting in Zambia in 1995 condemned the negative impact of the dominant world economic model.

It said this led the 75-million strong WARC to declare at its 24th General Council meetings in Accra, Ghana, in 2004 that “economic systems are a matter of life and death” and “the integrity of our faith is at stake if we remain silent or refuse to act.”

The Rev. Tara Tyme of the Caribbean and North American Council stressed the need for “continued sensitization, conscientization and collaboration to address economic injustice and environmental degradation in the Caribbean.”