Religion is the engine of Africa

Posted August 3, 2006 in News

Other notable quotes from the CWS press release:

Most Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane of South Africa noted that "faith is not a hobby -- nine-tenths of our influence is through the laypeople at the grassroots level."

Delegates observed that the U.S.'s verbal attacks on certain religious elements have disastrous ramifications: "When you whisper; we hear you," said Rev. Dr. Johnson Apendad Mbillah, of the Programme for Christian-Muslim Relations in Africa. "If religious moderates keep quiet, then the extremists will have their day."

And delegates persevered: "The religious community can preach, but if there is no economic support, people will die," noted David Beckmann, President of Bread for the World. "The U.S. has invested in emergencies, but not in development."

CWS's John McCullough observed, "All of us had an opportunity to be impressed. We saw a serious coming together, in what some have called the shadow of WW III. We have the power, potential, intelligence, and compassion to respond. We have gathered for Africa, but we know this has implications beyond the continent.

"Development has shifted to a new paradigm wherein we in the developed world do not need to only capacitate partners; we now create spaces where our colleagues can express themselves. This is a major goal -- moving beyond speaking on behalf of people.

"Our second goal is to influence policymaking. This is not about a single statement, but creating a series of policies for the quality of life on the continent of Africa."

More Summit information can be found here.

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