Expressing “grave concern and dismay” that an agreement between the Administration and Congress to reduce the deficit may place an unjust burden on the poor, “while shielding the wealthiest from any additional sacrifice,” leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths are letting the President and Congress know that without federal and state assistance houses of worship and communities of faith will be unable to take up the slack in funding to maintain support for the increasing number of individuals and families facing economic hardship due to budget cuts.
Listen to the audio recording of Communities of Faith Budget Conference Call, moderated by Dr. J. Herbert Nelson of the PC(USA) Office of Public Witness and a panel of faith leaders including Rev. Canon Peg Chemberlin, President, National Council of Churches; Executive Director, Minnesota Council of Churches, Rev. Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church USA, Rabbi Steve Gutow, President, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Rev. John L. McCullough, Executive Director and CEO, Church World Service, Sister Mary Hughes, OP, President, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, National Director, Office for Interfaith & Community Alliances, Islamic Society of North America.
Andrew Stern of Reuters also covered the conference call in his article "U.S. religious leaders urge moral solution to debt talks".
Read the full article below.
http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2011/07/14/u-s-religious-leaders-urge-moral-solution-to-debt-talks/
Read the full article below.
http://blogs.reuters.com/frontrow/2011/07/14/u-s-religious-leaders-urge-moral-solution-to-debt-talks/
