G8 Summit
Cause for Concern
What Happened in Genoa
And
What Didn’t Happen in Genoa

  • From January 2001-July 2001, at the initiative of Justice-Peace-Integrity of Creation promoters of major religious congregations, the Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network and the SEDOS Working Group on the debt, thousands of religious women, men and lay people from all over the world participated in a pre-G8 Summit activity by sending a signed copy of a MANIFESTO to the Heads of State and the Finance Ministers of the G8 countries. The Manifesto was a simple statement calling for total cancellation of the unjust foreign debt of the world’s poorest countries.
  • During the actual G8 Summit from July 20-July22 a small group, representing those same organizations participated in a two day vigil of prayer and fasting as a non-violent protest to the unjust economic policies which have caused and which continue to be the cause of the heavy debt burden on many developing countries through out the world. We fasted in solidarity with those, who in paying their debt, are deprived of their basic needs to survive (food, shelter, medicine, education, etc). Moreover, we also challenged the consumerist lifestyle of today and committed ourselves to work towards the creation of a world that belongs to all.

We express our concern over what happened in Genoa during those days:

  • We encountered a city, half of which was fortified by thousands of police so that the G8 leaders could meet and discuss the concerns of the world. A scandalous amount of money was spent on providing comfortable surroundings for the G8 Heads of State and their entourages. We deplore this reality of inequality as well as the use of violence to silence the cry of the poor, which in effect, is the cry of all humanity for a better and more meaningful life. We express our concern that so many police were involved in the violence.
  • We are outraged by the lack of objectivity in the media. The almost exclusive focus on the violence contrasted with an almost total neglect of the more significant aspects of the Genoa event: the hundreds of thousands of active non-violent protesters who came with a serious message and a sincere commitment to justice and peace
  • We deplore the effort to “criminalize” the entire protest. Estimates are that more than 200,000 people participated in the peaceful protests and only one percent of demonstrators were violent.

We express our concern over what did NOT happen in Genoa during those days:

  • There was no significant commitment to further debt reduction.
  • The “cry of the poor” and the social movements for a more just economic system seem to have been ignored.

Our experience in Genoa calls us to:

  • Prayer and fasting on a regular basis to be in solidarity with those who are hungry and poor because of unjust economic policies on a global scale
  • Renew our commitment to work for total debt cancellation as stated in the Interreligious Manifesto to the G8, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. (See attached) As stated in that document we believe that “the present economic system has escalated the gap between rich and poor and concentrated control over the world’s resources in the hands of a few. It has also destroyed much of the natural environment. Our times call for bold and courageous initiatives to create new, just and equitable economy, which represents the dignity of every human being and of the natural world.”

Our experience in Genoa has left us with the following questions:

  • How do we confront unjust structures and bring about social changes?
  • How do we promote a culture of peace and non-violence? How can we promote active non-violence?
  • Who is responsible for the violence at international level, for such has been the pattern since 1999 at the various international meetings and summits? How can we work more with the youth, reflecting with them on non-violent strategies to bring about changes, which will make our world more just and human. How can we give globalization a human face?
  • How can religious life become more prophetic and radical? How can we reflect together, analyse, respond to new situations in new and relevant ways?