Pope meets Jubilee 2000 and calls for urgent debt cancellation to mark the Jubilee year.

In an extraordinary meeting on 23^rd September, marking 100 days to the Millennium, Pope Jean-Paul II made a strong appeal to world to leaders to take urgent and decisive action towards resolving the debt crisis that afflicts the world's poorest countries.

Speaking during a meeting with an international Jubilee 2000 delegation of economists, artists and campaigners, the Pope questioned why progress in resolving the debt problem is so slow, and expressed impatience with the protracted negotiations.

He said "debt relief is urgent .... and a precondition for the poorest countries to make progress in their fight against poverty. This is something which is now widely recognised, and credit is due to all those who have contributed to this change in direction. We have to ask, however, why progress in resolving the debt problem is still so slow. Why so many hesitations? Why the difficulty in providing the funds needed even for the already agreed initiatives?

He warned that it “is the poor that pay the cost of indecision and delay.”

He stated that “the Catholic Church looks at the situation with great concern. Not because she has any concrete technical model of development to offer, but because she has a moral vision of what the good of individuals and of the human family demands. She has consistently taught that there is a “social mortgage” on all private property, a concept which today must also be applied to “intellectual property” and to “knowledge”. The law of profit alone cannot be applied to that which is essential for the fight against hunger, disease and poverty”.

• For the full statement by Pope Jean-Paul II.

Addressing the Pope on behalf of the delegation, Ann Pettifor, director and co-founder of Jubilee 2000, appealed to the Vatican to prevail upon the world's leaders to meet again before the New Year, to cancel debts that result in the deaths of 20,000 children every day. She said: “This is a day that will go down in history. The Pope has given his endorsement and blessing to the passion and commitment of millions of Jubilee 2000 campaigners around the world. It is now up to the world's leaders to rise to the Pope's call and moral leadership”.

The meeting with the Pope was first announced by U2's Bono at the launch of NETAID on September 8^th. The eventual delegation that met with the Pope included a wide variety of musicians, academics and campaigners, representing the breadth of support for the Jubilee 2000 campaign. Accompanying Ann Pettifor and Bono were Professor Adebayo Adedeji, Nigerian economist and expert on debt and former United Nations Under Secretary General;

Willie Colon, US and Latin American musician activist; Julian Filochowski, Director of the UK relief agency, CAFOD; Bob Geldof, artist and founder of Live Aid; Quincy Jones, musician and producer of `We Are the World'; Duncan McLaren, Director of Caritas International; Mr Francesco Rutelli, Mayor of Rome; Randall Robinson, Director of Trans Africa, Washington; Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Centre for International Development at Harvard University; and Laura Vargas, leader of the Jubilee 2000 Coalition in Peru.

The diversity of support for the Jubilee 2000 campaign was also demonstrated in the messages that were sent by people that were not able to attend the meeting. The Rev. Billy Graham, the prominent American evangelist gave a video statement whilst Professor J.K. Galbraith issued a written statement.

Bob Geldof, speaking of his experience of meeting the Pope said:

“Were the spirit of this frail old man mirrored in a practical way by our political leaders, then the final push of political will to eradicate this unnecessary tragedy, would be easily achieved ..... and I liked his shoes!”

Professor Jeffrey Sachs said:

“With 100 days left to the millennium, we are halfway up the summit. But much more is needed. For hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people, the Pope's message today is crucial: the time is urgent for rich and poor to take the full and bold measure of debt cancellation that is so vitally needed”.

Bono concluded: “Who could turn this man (the Pope) down?”

• A webcast of the press conference that followed the meeting which includes footage of the meeting with the Pope and the statement by Revd Billy Graham can be viewed at: http://www.unimondo.org/debt .