The purpose of such radical socio-economic restructuring was to guarantee the survival of a just and peaceful community . . . . Given that international debt deprives some people not only of the means to meet their needs, but of life itself, the debt cannot be seen as an extension of God's will. The debt is a faith issue for those of us who believe in a God of life . . . Mennonite Central Committee will encourage the United States to take leadership in a joint effort by high income countries to reduce the overall debt by cancelling a significant portion of the official debt of the low income countries . . . and working toward establishing a more equitable international finance and trade system. In God's envisioned world, no person, no family, and by extension no nation is to be permanently impoverished.
Peonage is never an acceptable result of debt.
Furthermore, it is an operative principle of Scripture that when economic loss and distortion occur, there is to be a restoration. . . . Economic relationships are never to be allowed to make life hopeless. In faith, therefore, we must oppose any financial system that heaps added burden upon the poor. We must find a means to deal with the debt crisis in such a way that life may be renewed and community restored. The repayment of debts and interest at the expense of the basics of life for the poor cannot be tolerated.