October 29, 2008

CHICAGO – The executive committee of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) issued a pastoral message on the global financial crisis denouncing the collective failure of responsibility and accountability on the part of governments, financial institutions and business leaders, and urging LWF member churches to stand in solidarity with the people most affected. The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, LWF president and presiding bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), chaired the committee's Oct. 24-26 meeting in Helsinki, Finland.

The LWF executive committee members wrote that they were "deeply disturbed and moved by the suffering, fear and helplessness experienced by people and communities caused by the current global financial crisis in our respective contexts throughout the world.

Committee members pointed to the current crisis as the "catastrophic" consequence of non-sustainable economic, social and environmental processes. They expressed regret that the poor and vulnerable bear the greatest burden in a crisis such as the current one.

"We find it painful to note how quickly massive financial resources could be mobilized to prop up the financial markets and institutions in this moment of crisis, when in much better economic times a fraction of those resources could not be found to eliminate extreme poverty around the world," stated the pastoral message.

The committee noted that while banks and financial institutions would benefit from unprecedented rescue packages, humanitarian aid and development budgets were likely to be placed under greater pressure. It challenged LWF member churches to maintain their commitments to support and give hope to the poorest and most vulnerable in their communities and throughout the world.

The LWF is a global communion of 140 member churches representing more than 68.3 million Lutherans, including the ELCA and its 4.7 million members.

The pastoral message underscored the churches' obligation to join with others in rebuilding trust in community "and in creating new economic institutions and forms of governance that are more responsive to the claims of justice and thus worthy of trust."

Committee members affirmed the LWF leadership's pastoral concern and accompaniment, inviting member churches to share their experiences and responses, and support each other in the midst of the current crisis.

In addition to Hanson, the LWF executive committee consists of five regional vice presidents, treasurer and the chairs of seven program committees. It meets regularly twice each year.

The full text of the pastoral message is at http://tinyurl.com/55zldv/, on the LWF Web site.

ELCA News Service
Lutheran World Information is the LWF information service and is the source of this report.