I've also reached out to Buddhist congregations. The General Assembly passed the resolution with no discussion. The General Assembly heard reports about two important public policy issues about which NCC member communions and the NCC Washington Office are advocating, campaign finance reform and a Jubilee 2000 for debtor nations. That would feed a lot of homeless people. I believe the time is right for the prophetic word and call for change.
Countries deserve a new start, free of lingering debts.
No mechanisms for bankruptcy exist. She also noted that many of the factors for increasing debt have been external to the countries involved, such as rising oil prices and the levying of high interest rates. As the Church, me need to insist that policies must be shaped in the context of God's love and demand for justice. Most of the discussion centered around the Debtor Nation issue, with delegates supporting the call and stressing the need for ensuring that aid makes it to the grass roots level. General Secretary Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell and United Methodist Bishop William Boyd Grove took time to thank United Methodist Bishop Melvin Talbert for his two years of service as NCC President.