Methodist reaction to Ofcom's decision on Make Poverty History ads

Anthea Cox, Methodist Coordinating Secretary for Public Life andSocial Justice: "Many churches and faith groups are backing MakePoverty History, including the Methodist Church. We believing thatstriving to end poverty and aiding the poor is an integral part ofour Christian faith. The decisions that affect the well-being ofmillions of people are necessarily political in nature, since onlypoliticians and those they work with and appoint (such as centralbankers) have the power to bring about the changes we seek. Thatall three main British political parties backed some or all of thegoals of MPH shows that, whilst this campaign is played out in thepolitical arena, it is not a party political issue.

"We appreciate Ofcom's point that it is not judging whether the MPHcampaign is "good" or "bad" politics, and that is has had to reacha decision in an area it has not been called on before.Nonetheless, it is a concern that a campaign that many Methodistsfeel called to back because of their faith is now denied access tothe public airwaves because it is dubbed political.

"The Make Poverty History campaign is continuing, with importantdecisions yet to be taken at the upcoming WTO meeting. TheMethodist Church will continue to back it, celebrates what hasalready been achieved and hopes for good news from the rest of thecampaign."