Finance Ministers & Breaking the Chains of Debt

 

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’

                                Luke 4:16-19 NRSVue 

There are the big international conferences which are attended by presidents, prime ministers, and potentates. Then there the events which draw less attention and countries are represented by lesser figures from governments, often addressing subjects which are thornier and perhaps more politically fraught. They might not show up on the media radar to any extent or we don't hear much because of the timing.

A "lazy, hazy, days of summer" conclave involving finance ministers and central bank governors from the G-20 nations-- Canada's Chrystia Freeland was there --  has concluded and debt relief for countries crushed by debt was one of the key subjects. They got nowhere, it would seem, and the contentious subject has been kicked down the road to yet another meeting in September. 

                                                                               Jubilee 2000 Rally

I've written about the Jubilee 2000 movement from the turn of the millenium, a concerted effort by NGOs, religious groups, and no less than the rock star Bono, to get wealthier nations to cancel the burdensome debts of developing nations. Back then it was the Group of Eight rather than the G-20 and the estimated debt was $376 billion USD. Bono met with Pope John Paul II, presidents Clinton and Bush, and many other world leaders. The campaign was successful to a degree but here we are again, nearly a quarter century later.  

Bono is a Christian and was well aware of passages in the Hebrew scriptures, particularly Levitcus 25, regarding a Jubilee year along with the Jubilee theme of Jesus' teaching (see above.) This isn't "me and Jesus" salvation but a vision of God's reign and redemption for all people everywhere. 

There are conservative Christians who dismiss this as socialism and communism. Hey, there were some who got angry at Jesus when he spoke in Nazareth and wanted to throw him off a cliff. They work hard at dismissing these passages. I figure it's the gospel.