CNA Staff, Apr 6, 2021 / 06:25 am
An English cardinal and the Archbishop of Canterbury urged the U.K. government Tuesday to reconsider plans to cut its foreign aid budget.
In a joint article in the London Evening Standard April 6, Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Justin Welby expressed alarm at the proposed reduction in aid from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5%.
“Balancing the books during a pandemic on the backs of the world’s poorest is not acceptable, when Britain should be setting an example and proving our standing as a world leader,” they wrote.
“Ultimately however, this is not only about ‘global Britain,’ it is about morality and fulfilling our promise to people who live in poverty. Too often we use the phrase ‘the world is watching,’ but on this occasion it is true. We must rise to the occasion.”