Enough Food for Everyone If is a national campaign, launched today, involving 100 organisations that have come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger. The Church of England is a member of the campaign and has issued this press release about its involvement.
In today’s age of plenty there is no reason why anyone should go without, IF ….
23 January 2013
The Bishops of Hereford and Derby today challenge governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry, as a coalition 100 organisations come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger – IF.
Speaking as the Lead Bishop on rural issues, the Bishop of Hereford, the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, said: “Today, the world produces enough food to feed all seven billion of its inhabitants, but nearly one billion still go without. The growing levels of food insecurity in an age of plenty challenge the Gospel message of abundant life.”
Bishop Anthony continues: “As a Church we are called upon both to feed the hungry and to expose and eradicate the causes of debilitating hunger. This year’s IF campaign provides us all with an opportunity to cast a spotlight on our broken food system and to press governments, companies and citizens to take the necessary steps to reduce the millions currently going hungry.”
In a podcast released to mark the launch of the IF campaign, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Alastair Redfern, who will be speaking at the campaign launch, said: “IF is a very small word but it can have enormous consequences and this campaign asks all of us to use the word ‘IF’ for ourselves – our spending, our resources, our praying, our hopes for a better world in 2013.”
Bishop Alastair continues: “It’s a national campaign, an international campaign, drawing people together – IF. IF we can join together then many more people can be lifted out of hunger. Let all of us hear that word: “If you wanted to, you could help me more.” And let each of our hearts reflect on that word: “If we tried harder we could make a huge difference.” And that’s what this year of 2013 is all about and what our endeavours are about as we join with others for this campaign.”
Notes
The Church of England is a member of ENOUGH FOOD FOR EVERYONE IF. This is a national campaign involving 100 organisations that have come together to make 2013 the year in which we make dramatic progress towards ending global hunger. For more about the campaign and its launch please visit the campaign website at www.enoughfoodif.org.
The Church of England will be using the UK Presidency of the G8 to focus on two key concerns: hunger and sexual violence in conflict. To learn more about the Church’s work in both these areas please visit this website.
The Bishop of Derby’s podcast can be found at this link.
This is the sort of thing that we should be speaking out on. Will anyone hear?
I hope so. Finally I’m hearing the Good News from CoE.
No it’s not. By all means put pressure on governments etc. but only if you’ve stopped eating meat, sold your car if you can, and stop buying from those so-called companies that evade taxes in the developing world, otherwise it’s the political equivalent of adopting a panda.
more contentiously, tell the Catholic and Islamic agencies in that lot to start distributing condoms: the population of Ethiopia has doubled since Band Aid, most of it settled in non-sustainable land. We in Britain live non-sustainably too.
at least that’s what I’d want to hear from the CofE to its own members before preaching to the wider world. Also, singling out bio-fuel companies for special condemnation when they create jobs and wealth among largely agrarian communities when the aim of the campaign seems to be to simply feed more people who will also need energy comes across as either disingenuous or stupid.
I’m not sure I completely agree w/ you, Lorenzo (actually, I’m sure I won’t give up meat and my car), but the prophetic challenge of your words is something we (I) need to hear.
One thing that could make a real difference, also, to the problem of hunger in the world would be to encourage contraception in countries where food resources are scarce. In a rapidly expanding world population, prospective parents have a moral responsibility to ensure their children can be fed.
Hard to be lectured on this subject, by the very same Anthony Priddis, whose claim to fame till today has been for anti-gay behaviour toward a
diocesan youth worker.
A vital and hugely pressing problem indeed, but it is hard to continue in a spirit of trust, from such a (suspect,’unrepentant’) source.
I dread tokenism.