The General Synod of the Church of Norway November 12-17 discussed the different consequenses of globalisation. The environmental and global responsibility of the Church was lifted up under the main theme for the Synod this year, taken from the first Article of the Apostles' Creed: "Maker of heaven and earth".
The Synod calls for a refomed trade and finanical system where countries have equal access and possibilities to influence the rules and decisions; poor countries can chose their own development strategies and where demands for privatisation and liberalisation in the poorer countries are brought to an end.
Norway`s responsibility
In a resolution the General Synod recognizes that the Church of Norway is part of a political and economical development that has exploited people and natural resources in the South.
Challenged by the study process AGAPE, which is facilitated by the World Council of Churches, the Synod`s resolution states that Norway has a particular responsibility to manage its petroleum resources and wealth in a responsible way that benefits the poor. (AGAPE stands for Alternative Globalisation Addressing Peoples and Earth).
- We urge Norwegian authorities, organisations, trade and industry to work for a comprehensive approach to the challenges of globalisation and to see the interconnection between poverty-reduction and environmental engagement, the General Synod states.
The General Synod recommends Norway to unconditionally cancel all illegitimate debt, independently of the development budget. The resolution also calls for adjusting customs restrictions in order to shift Norwegian imports from the industrialised countries to developing countries.
 Response to AGAPE
At the General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in February 2006, an AGAPE “Call to Action” was presented. A commission under the Church of Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relations recently issued a Norwegian response to the AGAPE-document. This document recommendes a number of actions to be taken to counteract aspects of the market logic reflecting "survival of the fittest", in order to protect the weakest.
- The focus on the poor, the marginalised and the victims of unjust structures is closely linked to the life and teachings of Jesus, the document states.
The document "The Church and Economic Globalisation" can be downloaded here. (PDF - 2,5 mb) |
