The Prime Minister of UK Gordon Brown replies to The Pope's letter saying the rich countries must keep the promise to the poor.
On the eve of the London Summit, HH Pope Benedict XVI has written to the Prime Minister, and Gordon Brown has replied.
"It is my intention with this letter," the Holy Father wrote, after recalling the Prime Minister's recent visit to the Vatican, "to express to you and to the Heads of State and Heads of Government participating in the Summit the Catholic Church' s appreciation, as well as my own, for the meeting's noble objectives. Such objectives arise from the conviction, shared by all the participating Governments and international organizations, that the way out of the current global crisis can only be reached together, avoiding solutions marked by any nationalistic selfishness or protectionism."
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"It is necessary," The Pope continued, "to turn to the multilateral mechanisms and structures which form part of the United Nations and its associated organizations, in order to hear the voices of ail countries and to ensure that measures and steps taken at G20 meetings are supported by all.
"At the same time, I would like to note a further reason for the need for reflection at the Summit. Financial crises are triggered when - partially due to the decline of correct ethical conduct - those working in the economic sector lose trust in its modes of operating and in its financial systems. Nevertheless, finance, com¬merce and production systems are contingent human creations which, if they become objects of blind faith, bear within themselves the roots of their own downfall. Their true and solid foundation is faith in the human person. For this reason all the measures proposed to rein in this crisis must seek, ultimately, to offer security to families and stability to workers and, through appropriate regulations and controls, to restore ethics to the financial world."
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"I would also like," the Holy Father concluded, "to add my voice to those of the adherents of various religions and cultures who share the conviction that the elimination of extreme poverty by 2015, to which Leaders at the UN Millennium Summit committed themselves, remains one of the most important tasks of our time."
The Prime Minister replied: "As you say, the world's poorest are most at risk from this crisis, even though they have not been responsible for creating it. Protecting the poorest is one of my top priorities and we stand ready to support the most vulnerable in society. It is vital that rich countries keep their promises on aid, even in these tough times."
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"As well as helping the poorest and supporting a low carbon recovery," the Prime Minister continued, "the G20 must also take bold action to help kickstart global trade and give the IMF the funds it needs to support big emerging economies, increasingly starved of global finance. Millions of jobs will depend on this.
"Finally we must agree tough measures to better regulate banks and hedge funds and ensure the shadow banking system is regulated.
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"This is a decisive moment for the world economy," Gordon Brown concluded. "We have a choice to make. We can either let the recession run its course, or we can resolve as a world community to unite, to stand with millions of people struggling in these tough times, to fight back against this global recession that is hurting so many people in every continent. I hope that the world's leaders can come together to rise to this challenge."
By G20
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