c. 1998 Religion News Service

LONDON _ What has traditionally been described as the top-down approach of the World Bank met the bottom-up approach of the world’s religious communities at a two-day dialogue on poverty and development, Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey said Thursday (Feb. 13).

Representatives of nine world faiths _ Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, and Taoism _ met for two days with James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank, in what was described as a first of its kind dialogue. The meetings were held at Lambeth Palace, the headquarters of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Wolfensohn, whose international financial agency has been sharply criticized over the years for an approach to economic development of Third World nations that ignores the needs of the poor, said at the conclusion of the sessions that the meetings were”not a public relations exercise”but an honest effort to begin dialogue between the bank and its critics.

The bank has been criticized for putting its emphasis on large-scale, urban-centered, export-oriented development projects rather than on smaller, rural projects that would create economic self-sufficiency among the 1 billion people who make less than a dollar a day.”We have heard some very strong expressions of anger,”Carey said, describing the meetings as a”clearing of the air”but without acrimony.”But also we have been listening to the World Bank explaining some its projects,”he said.”There has been a meeting of minds, realizing that we are not people who are in a confrontational situation but actually working largely to the same ends.” Wolfensohn, for his part, acknowledged that in recent years there has been criticism of the World Bank from many quarters, including religious leaders, and bank officials have come to realize there is a need for dialogue between the bank and its critics.”If we are doing things wrong at the bank, we would like to get a different point of view,”he said,”And if we’re not, we’d like to get recognition for what we do.” In a closing joint statement, Carey and Wolfensohn said they were strengthened in their conviction the definition and practice of desirable development”must have regard to spiritual, ethical, environmental, cultural and social considerations if it is to be sustainable and contribute to the well being of all, especially the poorest and weakest members of society.” The participants agreed that”well being”must imply the elimination of the suffering caused by poverty while also recognizing the importance of spiritual and cultural life, the two said in their statement.”The challenge to all of us is how to pool our talents to overcome poverty as it has become defined for us through our discussions,”the joint statement said.”We are particularly keen to start some more small scale and practical activities which could act as models for future development.” Joint working groups of bank officials and those from the religious communities are being set up to explore such themes as community building; hunger and food security; environmental sustainability; the preservation of cultural heritage, including sacred sites; violence and post-conflict reconstruction; education; and the delivery of social services, such as health and emergency food supplies.

Both Carey and Wolfensohn expressed a sense of urgency in meeting the crisis of poverty.”He and I and our colleagues agree that if we don’t put something in the frame as soon as possible then we are frittering away our time,”Carey said.

The importance attached to the meeting was underscored by the fact that Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, interrupted his already-set schedule to attend.

The council’s secretary, the Rev. Diarmuid Martin, spoke of the difficulty of establishing a real dialogue.”In the past the World Bank and the religions were in two different orbits,”he said. But he said the churches should not want to have their orbits totally”synchronized”with that of the World Bank.”The churches have to be free to say a word that might be uncomfortable for the international organizations,”he said.

DEA END NOWELL