Urging leaders around the world to reject greed and vaccine nationalism, 145 religious leaders including Cardinal Peter Turkson from the Catholic Church, former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams and Dr Thabo Makgoba, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, have released the statement as part of a campaign, which is also supported by the Dalai Lama.
It makes the moral case that it is not right that countries in the global north are hoarding vaccines while low- and middle-income countries are barely getting any doses. They also recognised the pressing need for global vaccine production to be urgently and massively ramped up and for countries to release their excess doses.
The call comes as part of action from the People’s Vaccine Alliance, a coalition of organisations and activists campaigning for a ‘people’s vaccine’ for Covid-19, which would be based on shared knowledge and freely available to everyone everywhere.
The call for a People’s Vaccine is already backed by past and present world leaders, health experts, and economists.
In a statement released today, global faith leaders have said: “As religious leaders, we have witnessed the personal stories behind the Covid statistics - we have, every day, heard the cries, shared with us, of the suffering, the frightened, and the bereaved. We have witnessed too the profound love shown by those working at the frontline, and by those who have reached out to help their neighbours.”
Fionna Smyth, head of global advocacy and policy at Christian Aid, said on behalf of the People’s Vaccine Alliance:
“We know that our best chance of all staying safe is to ensure Covid-19 vaccines are available for all as a global common good as soon as possible. This will only be possible with a transformation in how vaccines are produced and distributed — pharmaceutical corporations must allow the Covid-19 vaccines to be produced as widely as possible by sharing their knowledge free from patents.
“Instead they are protecting their monopolies and putting up barriers to restrict production and drive up prices, leaving us all in danger. No one company can produce enough for the whole world. So long as vaccine solutions are kept under lock and key, there won’t be enough to go around. We need a People’s Vaccine, not a profit vaccine.
“The failure to provide vaccine equity to some of the poorest and most marginalised communities around the world is a moral issue, which the world must face up to. So we are deeply encouraged that leaders of the world’s major faith traditions have joined us in calling for a People’s Vaccine.”
The religious leaders’ statement added: “The Covid crisis has reminded us all of our interdependence, and of our responsibilities to care for one another. We can each only be well, when all of us are well. If one part of the world is left to suffer the pandemic, all parts of the world will be put at ever-increasing risk.
“The access of people to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines cannot be dependent on people’s wealth, status, or nationality. We cannot abdicate our responsibilities to our brothers and sisters by imagining that the market can be left to resolve the crisis, or pretend to ourselves that our country has no obligation to people in their country. Every person is precious. We all have a moral obligation to reach everyone.”
They added: “This unprecedented public health crisis calls, above all, for global solidarity, for all people to stand together as brothers and sisters. The same spirit of unity and common purpose that has driven scientists to develop Covid-19 vaccines at breathtaking speed, that drives the care of those tending to the sick, must also inspire the leaders of government, civil society and the private sector to massively ramp up vaccine production so there are sufficient doses for every person in the world to be vaccinated.
“We call on all leaders to reject vaccine nationalism and embrace a commitment to global vaccine equity.
“As religious leaders, we join our voices to the call for vaccines that are made available to all people as a global common good – a People’s Vaccine. This is the only way to end the pandemic.”
NOTES TO EDITORS
For media enquiries in the UK: James Macintyre jmacintyre@christian-aid.org
For media enquiries in the US and globally: Liza Barrie lbarrie@citizen.org
Social media assets can be found here
About the People’s Vaccine Alliance
The People’s Vaccine Alliance is a coalition of organisations and activists united under a common aim of campaigning for a ‘people’s vaccine’ for COVID-19. This would be based on shared knowledge and freely available to everyone everywhere – a global common good. The alliance’s members include Free the Vaccine, Global Justice Now, Public Citizen, Christian Aid, the Yunus Centre, Frontline AIDS, Amnesty International, Oxfam, SumOfUs and UNAIDS. The call for a #PeoplesVaccine is backed by past and present world leaders, health experts, faith leaders and economists. For more information, visit https://peoplesvaccine.org/
Full faith leaders’ letter, including signatories:
World Religious Leaders Call for a People’s Vaccine
As religious leaders, we have witnessed the personal stories behind the Covid statistics - we have, every day, heard the cries, shared with us, of the suffering, the frightened, and the bereaved.
We have witnessed too the profound love shown by those working at the frontline, and by those who have reached out to help their neighbours.
The Covid crisis has reminded us all of our interdependence, and of our responsibilities to care for one another. We can each only be safe when all of us are safe. If one part of the world is left to suffer the pandemic, all parts of the world will be put at ever-increasing risk.
The access of people to life-saving Covid-19 vaccines cannot be dependent on people’s wealth, status, or nationality. We cannot abdicate our responsibilities to our sisters and brothers by imagining that the market can be left to resolve the crisis or pretend to ourselves that we have no obligation to others in our shared humanity. Every person is precious. We have a moral obligation to reach everyone, in every country.
Right now, despite the incredible success in developing so many safe and effective vaccines in record time, and the relief of seeing them being rolled out, with deaths starting to decline as a result, it pains us greatly that access to the vaccines is so inequitable. Rich countries have been able to ramp up vaccination efforts and secure doses whilst in most low- and middle-income countries vaccines are only beginning to trickle in. At the current pace of vaccine production and distribution, people in much of the world may not be vaccinated until at least 2024. The consequences for the poorest individuals, families, and communities, will be devastating.
Neglect would undermine the dignity not only of those left behind, but also of those who have left them behind.
This unprecedented public health crisis calls, above all, for global solidarity, for all people to stand together as brothers and sisters. The same spirit of unity and common purpose that has driven scientists to develop Covid-19 vaccines at breathtaking speed, that drives the care of those tending to the sick, must also inspire the leaders of government, civil society and the private sector to massively ramp up vaccine production so there are sufficient doses for every person in the world to be vaccinated.
We call on all leaders to reject vaccine nationalism and embrace a commitment to global vaccine equity.
As religious leaders, we join our voices to the call for vaccines that are made available to all people as a global common good – a People’s Vaccine. This is the only way to end the pandemic.
Let us work together to build a more just and peaceful world.
To love is to take action.
Signed:
1. Rev. Adam Russell Taylor, President, Sojourners
2. Imam Ahmed Ghanem, Göteborg mosque, Gothenburg, Sweden
3. The Most Revd Dr Albert Chama, Archbishop of Central Africa and Chair of the Anglican Alliance
4. Adrian Cristea, Executive Officer, Dublin City Inter-faith Forum
5. Ann Scholz, SSND, Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)
6. His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London
7. Anthony Nanson
8. Avera Health
9. Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, Netherlands
10. Fr. Bernhard Bürgler SJ - Provincial of the Austrian Province of the Society of Jesus
11. Blessing Makwara, General Secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe
12. The Revd Canon Bob Fyffe, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland
13. Rabbi Bonnie Margulis, President of the Board at Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice
14. Rev. Brian D. McLaren, USA
15. Brigid Lawlor, Province Advocacy Liaison, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
16. The Rev. Cn. Bruce W. Woodcock, Asia and the Pacific Partnership Officer for the Episcopal Church
17. Carolyn Lawrence, Vice-President of the Methodist Conference
18. Rev. Charles Berahino, Executive Secretary for Peace and Diakonia at the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC)
19. Rev. Chris Hudson, Moderator, Non-Subscribing Presbyterian Church in Ireland
20. Christopher Cox
21. The Rev. Christopher Frye, St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chambersburg, PA
22. Revd Clare Downing, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church
23. The Rev. Clelia P. Garrity, LCSW, Diocesan Missioner for Global Refuge Missions
24. Rev. Colin Holtz, President, Faithful America Board of Directors
25. Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Salvation Army Territorial Commander, United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland
26. Revd Duncan Dormor, General Secretary, USPG
27. Fr Damian Howard SJ
28. Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, Scholar in Residence, National Council of Jewish Women
29. Bishop David Musumba, Free Pentecostal Fellowship in Kenya
30. Rev. Derrick Jones, Supervisor of RCA Mission programs in Africa
31. Dominican Sisters, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
32. Rev Dyfrig Rees, General Secretary of the Union of Welsh Independents
33. Eddy Ruble, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
34. Edwin Graham, Coordinator, Northern Ireland Inter-faith Forum
35. Sister Eileen Gannon, Sparkill, NY
36. Elijah M. Brown, General Secretary, Baptist World Alliance
37. Emmanuel Ahua
38. Sr. Emily TeKolste, SP, Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
39. Rev. Erik Oland S.J., Provincial - Jesuits of Canada
40. Esther Mombo
41. Franck Janin, President, Jesuit Conference of European Provincials
42. Franciscan Action Network
43. Rev. Fredrick Gilbert
44. Gustavo Calderón, S.J. Provincial de Ecuador - COMPAÑIA DE JESÚS
45. Hazel Loney, Lay Leader, Methodist Church in Ireland
46. Haider Ibrahim, Chairman, Islamic Shia communities in Sweden
47. Rev. Hodari Williams, New Life Church, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
48. Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, Imam
49. Very Revd Dr Ivan Patterson, President, Irish Council of Churches
50. Rabbi Jacob Siegel
51. The Rev. James L. Reisner
52. Fr. Jan Roser SJ, Provincial
53. Sr. Jane Herb, IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan - President
54. Jason Miller, Franciscan Action
55. Javier Perez, Director of Global Missions Programs & Impact, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
56. Rev Jennifer Butler, Faith in Public Life
57. Rev Dr Jennie Hurd, Chair of the Methodist Church Cymru Synod
58. Jennifer Lau - Executive Director, Canadian Baptist Ministries
59. P. Jesus Zaglul, Casa Generalicia de los jesuitas, Roma
60. Jim Winkler, President, National Council of Churches
61. Sr. Joan Mumaw IHM
62. John Celichowski, OFM Cap., NAPCC Novitiate, Santa Ynez, CA
63. Rev. John Chan, Canadian Baptist Ministries
64. The Most Reverend John Davies, Archbishop of Wales
65. Most Revd John McDowell, Archbishop of Armagh, Church of Ireland
66. Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
67. Rev. Canon Joseph P Collins
68. The Most Revd Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion
69. The Rev'd Fr. Johannes Mokgethi-Heath, Act Church of Sweden
70. Rev. Julia Bowering, Canadian Baptist Ministries
71. Rev Judith Morris, General Secretary of the Union of Welsh Baptists
72. Judith Toner, member NY State UCC Global Ministries Committee
73. Judy Byron, OP, Inter-Community Peace & Justice Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
74. D. Kang-San Tan, BMS World Mission
75. Pastor Kay Woike, Church of the Nativity, United Church Of Christ
76. Ven. Kofi deGraft-Johnson, CAPA Secretariat, Nairobi, Kenya
77. Dr. Krish Kandiah, Greater Good Global
78. Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Former Senior Rabbi, Reform Judaism
79. Dr. Lauren Jinshil Oliver, founder, CirclesWork.net
80. Lawrence Couch, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
81. Lawrence Gilley, United Church of Christ, Deansboro, New York, USA
82. Dr. Lesmore Gibson, All Africa Conference of Churches
83. The Most Reverence Archbishop Linda Nicholls, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada
84. Louise Hannem, Canadian Baptist Ministries
85. Janice Tsang, Co-convenor of the Anglican Health & Community Network (AHCN)
86. Lucas Lopez Perez SJ, del equipo de la Conferencia de Provinciales Jesuitas de Amerrica Latina y el Caribe
87. Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr. President Emeritus Hispanic Clergy, President & CEO, Esperanza
88. Rt Revd Luke Pato, Bishop of Namibia and Co-Convenor of the Anglican Health & Community Network
89. Friar Marco Moroni, Sacro Convento of Assisi
90. Most Rev Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church
91. Right Reverend Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
92. Mary Ellen Holohan,Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, Member of Congregational Leadership Team
93. Rt Revd Dr Michael Beasley, Bishop of Hertford and Co-Convener of Anglican Health & Community Network
94. Archbishop Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte OFM
95. Mohamed Temsamani, Chairman of United Islamic Associations of Sweden
96. Archbishop Mouneer Anis
97. Margaret Rose, The Episcopal Church
98. Marie Dennis, Pax Christi International
99. Rev. Dr. Martin Junge, General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation
100. Mary J. Novak, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
101. Rev. Maxwell Doss - General Secretary, National Christian Council of Sri Lanka
102. Merritt Johnston, Baptist World Alliance
103. Rev. Nathan Empsall, Executive Director of Faithful America
104. Nathan Jones, Oasis Waterloo
105. Nick Park, Executive Director, Evangelical Alliance Ireland
106. Rabbi Nora Feinstein
107. Patricia Millen, Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia
108. Bishop Paul Horan, Diocese of Mutare, Zimbabwe
109. Paul Parker, Quakers in Britain
110. Peter Pay, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church
111. Sister Pegge Boehm, PBVM, Sisters of the Presentation of the BVM of Aberdeen SD
112. Cardinal Peter Turkson, Prefect, Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
113. Sister Quincy Howard, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
114. Rev. Randy Stanton
115. Rebecca Linder Blachly, Director, The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations
116. Revd Richard Teal, President of the Methodist Conference
117. Richard Walters, The Pension Boards-United Church of Christ, Inc.
118. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President, Union for Reform Judaism
119. Roberto Jaramillo Bernal, S.J., Presidente de la Conferencia de Provincias, Jesuitas de America Latina y El Caribe
120. Sr. Rose Marie Jasinski, CBS
121. Dr. Rowan Williams, UK
122. Sacro Convento of Assisi
123. Rt Revd Sarah Groves, Moravian Church
124. Rev. Fr. Seamus Finn OMI, Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate- US Province
125. Sheila Katz, CEO National Council of Jewish Women, USA
126. Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
127. Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth Leadership
128. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas - Justice Team
129. Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace
130. Rev. S.J.Wilson, Atlanta GA
131. Rev. Dr. Stephen Wigley, Chair of the Wales Synod of the Methodist Church
132. Susan Gunn, MaryKnoll Office for Global Concerns
133. Rabbi Suzan E. Lipson
134. Rev. Sylvestre BIZIMANA, General Secretary, National Council of Churches of Burundi
135. Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, Executive Director, Religions for Peace USA
136. Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, Secretary of Justice and Ecology, Jesuit Conference of Canada and the US
137. The Most Revd Dr Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Archbishop of Cape Town
138. Rev Dr Tom McKnight, President, Methodist Church in Ireland
139. Bishop Venson Shava
140. Vicky Heslop, Jampa Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre
141. Wanda M Lundy, Siloam-Hope First Presbyterian Church/ New York Theological Seminary
142. Rev. Wayne A. Laws, Minister of Social Justice & Mission at Mountain View United Church
143. Bishop William Crean, Bishop of Cloyne and Chair of the Trócaire Board of Directors
144. Xavier Jeyaraj SJ, Secretary for Social Justice and Ecology, Curia Generalizia, Rome
145. Dr. Zahid Bukhari, Executive Director, Center for Islam and Public Policy
