With fervour and conviction, religious leaders from Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim, Sikh and Buddhist traditions, urged more than 1,000 participants at the first Interfaith Convocation on Hunger at the Washington National Cathedral in the U.S. capital on June 6 to advocate for the end of hunger in the United States and abroad. Increasing worldwide hunger rates -- some 852 million people across the globe are going hungry, including nearly 6 million children who die each year from hunger-related causes -- are of great concern to religious leaders from various faith communities.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church joined the voices of concern, who petitioned to the U.S. Congress and administration for the goal of decreasing hunger. "It was a privilege for us Adventists to be invited with all other Christians and believers in a great action," says Dr. John Graz, Public Affairs and Religious Liberty director for the Seventh-day Adventist world church. "And we share the wish of doing our best in encouraging the government to do their best to help poor people around the world.

"For us as Adventist Christians, giving bread to the poor is the most practical message we can share about our faith. ... It's the core of the gospel. It's the center of our faith. If we don't share with those who are dying, we are not really faithful to God and to the message of Jesus," Graz added. According to Bread for the World and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hunger is on the rise. The number has risen by 10 million people in the last year, Graz says. "Every time we do something practical to feed the hungry, we are practicing our faith," he says.

In his keynote address, The Most Rev. Njongonkulu W.H. Ndungane, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, called on people of faith to speak loudly and clearly to end hunger with the goal of food for everyone being a human right. "We must put all our weight behind the growing momentum for change," said Bishop Ndungane “Now is the time…we have an unprecedented opportunity to make a difference.”

Bishop Ndungane, also questioned the increasing number of hungry people in the world while the world economy continues to grow. Calling this phenomenon a matter of political will rather than lack of resources, he urged participants not to allow politicians to "escape" without doing something to end hunger.

Rev. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in the U.S.A., declared: "We cannot be at peace until all of our brothers and sisters in the United States and around the world hunger no more."

Organized by Bread for the World, a 54,000-member Christian citizens movement that lobbies the U.S. Congress and administration for prevention of hunger, the meeting marked the first for such a large representation of faith leaders.

Participants of the convocation, held on the eve of National Hunger Awareness Day, June 7, joined in song and reading from the sacred texts of many faiths.

The convocation was part of a four-day event, "One Table, Many Voices: A Mobilization to End Poverty and Hunger," hosted by Bread for the World with partners Call to Renewal and America's Second Harvest. [Editor: Wendi Rogers and Christian B. Schaeffler for ANN/APD]