Pope commends Bolivia Debt Campaign Conclusions

Pope John Paul II has urged the Bolivian government to accept the conclusions of a Jubilee 2000 conference that set out proposals to ensure ordinary people benefit from debt cancellation.

Meeting with the new Bolivian ambassador to the Vatican, Pedro Jose Rivera Saavedra, the Pope voiced grave concerns over the devastating poverty afflicting the Bolivian people, and commended the recent National Forum on Poverty Reduction, a mass consultation exercise organised by the Bolivian Jubilee 2000 campaign. The forum, which had the backing of the Bolivian Catholic church, addressed the structural nature of poverty in Bolivia and advocated civil society participation in deciding how the crucial funds that would be released by debt cancellation should be spent.

• For the full story on the National Forum on Poverty reduction in La Paz

The Bolivian ambassador assured the Pope that one of the objectives of the Bolivian government was to alleviate the harsh poverty in the poorest regions. In a bid to encourage the Bolivian government to push for more equitable development, the Pope pointed the new ambassador to the conclusions reached at the recent Jubilee 2000 forum. He is particularly eager to see the Bolivian government addressing the needs of marginalised social groups. Involving all social groups in consultation on development was a key objective of the National Forum. The Pope backed this, saying: “A country, no matter what its political organisation or economic system, is fragile and unstable in itself if it does not give constant attention to its weakest members.”

Jubilee 2000 believes that the full and active involvement of civil society in decisions around debt cancellation is crucial to ensuring debt cancellation releases much-needed funds that could be channelled into tackling poverty.

The Pope cited the Bolivian bishops' pastoral letter entitled 'Land, Fruitful Mother for All' as a moral lead for the government to follow: land and agrarian reform would go a long way towards alleviating the desperate situations faced by many Indians and rural workers. The Pope committed his ongoing support for the Church's involvement in development efforts in Bolivia, saying: "[the] Eradication of poverty is a moral commitment in which justice and Christian solidarity play an indispensable role.”