As Budget Deal Looms, Faith Leaders Join Pope Francis in Supporting a 'Prayer Wave' to End Hunger

WASHINGTON, Dec. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Members of the Circle of Protection and other faith leaders will participate in a global "wave of prayer" for an end to hunger at the U.S. Capitol at 11:55 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10.  The prayer service launches a Caritas Internationalis campaign, which is supported by Pope Francis. Prayers will take place at noon in every time zone around the world, creating a "prayer wave" around the globe.

Who: Faith leaders participating in the prayer service are: Fr. Larry Snyder of Catholic Charities USA; Rev. David Beckmann of Bread for the World; Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners; Galen Carey of National Association of Evangelicals; Sister Marge Clark, BVM, of NETWORK; Rev. Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition; Maj. Darryl Leedom of the Salvation Army; and Rev. Diane Ford Dessables, a pastor of the United Church of Christ. Participating also are two teens from Christ Church in Alexandria, Va. – Rosamund Mitchell and Margaret Hudak – who are scheduled to meet their members of Congress later that day.  

What: A prayer service to join Pope Francis in supporting a new global campaign to end hunger

When: Tuesday, Dec. 10, from 11:55 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Participants are requested to be in the room no later than 11:45 a.m. Be sure to give yourself time to clear through U.S. Capitol security.

Where:  Room H-137 of the U.S. Capitol. Use the southeast entry to the Capitol.

Why: Millions of faithful people around the world will be praying on Dec. 10, at 12 noon local time, for an end to hunger. The "One Human Family, Food for All" campaign is organized by Caritas Internationalis, an international confederation of Catholic charities in the Vatican, and is supported by Pope Francis. This prayer service, organized by the Circle of Protection, joins Pope Francis in supporting this campaign to end hunger.

The wave of prayer comes at a critical time. Congress is close to a deal on the FY 2014 budget. They are also considering deeper cuts to SNAP, or food stamps, which is one of the most successful anti-hunger programs in the United States. Recent cuts have resulted in the loss of 10 million meals a day from the program—meals that would have fed families struggling to lift themselves out of the recession. Nearly 5 million of those meals were taken away from hungry American children, and a big chunk of the remaining meals was taken from the 900,000 veterans who rely on food stamps to avoid hunger.   

With their resources already stretched, this loss is more than what churches and other food charities can cope with.

Although this is a religious service, the event is open to the media. To interview any of the prayer leaders, contact Eric Sapp (703-863-6403) or Adlai Amor (202-423-7989).

The Circle of Protection is composed of more than 65 heads of denominations, relief and development agencies, and other Christian organizations. To learn more, visit www.circleofprotection.us.

SOURCE Circle of Protection

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