Leaders of eight Christian denominations came together with Bread for the World to press Congress and the Bush administration for full funding in FY ‘05 for the fight against the AIDS pandemic and for the Millennium Challenge Accounts for debt relief. In FY ’04 full funding was only achieved after significant pressure on Congress from the faith community and other advocates.
Representing Presiding Bishop Frank T. Griswold at the meetings was retired Bishop Frederick Borsch of Los Angeles. “It was genuinely encouraging and exciting to be with such a distinguished group of religious leaders, representing over 100 million Christians,” said Borsch. “We gathered because of the urgency of poverty, lack of health care, agriculture needs and the problem of AIDS, especially in Africa and in other parts of the world.”
After a morning of prayer and planning, the church leaders met with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice; Alan Larson, interim administrator of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which will administer the Millennium Challenge Accounts; and Ambassador John Lange, deputy to the US Global AIDS Coordinator. Church leaders emphasized their commitment to seeing that the Millennium Challenge Account and fight against global AIDS is fully funded. Both of these are key elements of the UN Millennium Development Goals, endorsed by General Convention in 2003.
Responding to administration concerns that infrastructure may not yet be in place to absorb full funding for these programs, Borsch replied: “American ingenuity and opportunity could put those funds to use immediately and effectively now through organizations and churches already on the ground.” Borsch also pressed the administration to support the use of safe, effective, and high quality generic drugs in fighting AIDS.
The meetings were especially timely as Congress is now considering the FY ’05 budget. The full Senate restored $1.1 billion cut from the international affairs budget and added $300 million to fight global AIDS. The House Budget Committee has cut $4.5 billion from the President’s budget request and the full House is expected to follow suit. Differences between the two budgets will be worked out by a conference committee later this month.
Borsch and other participants, including Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations in Washington, also met with Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and members of the staff of Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH), who have been instrumental in supporting increased funding for debt relief and HIV/AIDS. The administration had committed to focusing $9 billion in new resources for debt relief in 15 of the most afflicted countries in the world, and $15 billion over five years to fight global AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
After the meetings Borsch commented, “Our hope is that in the United States we, as a people, will do all in our power to encourage the fulfillment of those promises to many of the poorest and most needy people in the world.” Borsch urged his fellow bishops “to contact members of the House and Senate directly to express support full funding for these programs now and long term” and “all Episcopalians to join the Episcopal Public Policy Network to be advocates on these and other issues important to the Episcopal Church.”
Bread for the World, a nationwide Christian citizen’s movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people, organized the religious leaders’ summit. The Rev. David Beckmann is Bread for the World’s President. Borsch was also joined by the Rev. Susan Andrews, moderator of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church USA; Dr. Robert Edgar, general secretary, National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA; Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, president of the Lutheran World Federation; Dr. Major L. Jemison, president of the Progressive National Baptist Convention; Dr. Glenn Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church; Presiding Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick of the 5th Episcopal District (Alabama and Florida), Christian Methodist Episcopal Church; the Most Rev. John H. Ricard (SSJ), chair of the International Policy Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Bishop Peter D. Weaver, president-elect of the United Methodist Council of Bishops.
