A Pope of Hope
Pope Francis: A Bridge of Church and State
Earlier this month, I had the joy and blessing to be part of a conference hosted at the World Bank, in Washington, DC, on Religion and Sustainable Development. Focused on inquiry into the challenges of partnerships between government based organizations and faith based organizations, the conference’s goals were to develop solutions to these challenges as well as to forge partnerships that can work toward sustainable development.
Having grown up in America, I was inculcated with a passionate belief in the importance of separation between Church and State, the concept of which goes back to Thomas Jefferson and the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. It was put into effect in order to provide a safe ground for religious freedom.
In the 240 years since the founding of the Republic of the United States, the concept has been co-opted by much of society to ensure that the paths of politics and religion never intersect or overlap. “Separation of Church and State” has become the mantra of those who want to ensure that religion is relegated to houses of worship and that religious leaders do no more than facilitate an individual’s relationship with God. However, a separation between governmental agencies and faith organizations serves neither sector, and certainly does not serve the poor of the planet.
When 83% of the world’s population identify as members of a faith, faith is truly the potential magic wand in our hands. Faith-based organizations have the power to shift values and change behavior. Eradication of poverty and sustainable development require people of every socio-economic status, culture, creed, color, and country, to make different choices about how they live. We must change how we eat, how we shop, how we travel, and how we measure “success.” Ill-informed decisions, from the personal to the international, have brought our planet to the brink of destruction. We need masses of people to make changes in their lives and lifestyles. I believe the fastest and most effective way to achieve this is through faith-based organizations that connect the world’s people with the guiding principles, morals, and values of their lives – their own religion.
