Ten years ago, Catholic, Anglican, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Orthodox religious leaders gathered to sign the Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders Against Modern Slavery, a public statement of their commitment to work together in spiritual and practical action to eradicate modern slavery and restore dignity and freedom to its victims. Before signing the Joint Declaration, each religious leader described his or her motivations for adhering to the document.
The event was historic not only for its commitment to work across religions to eradicate modern slavery, but also because it was possibly the first time that these faith leaders had met as a group, unified in a common cause, signing their names on the same document.
It was the first time since the establishment of the Catholic Church that the Pope had met with a Grand Ayatollah in person. And it was the first time since the Reformation that the Catholic Church and Anglican Communion had reached an agreement on a global initiative.
Furthermore, it was a rare joint initiative between Sunni and Shia Muslim leaders. They were joined by leaders from many countries of the world, representing the business, political and civil sectors.
The declaration is contained in a leather-bound book which has since been signed by 110 faith leaders representing all major faiths including: Christian (Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Evangelical, Pentecostal, Methodist, Baptist, Orthodox, Presbyterian and Quaker), Muslim (Shia and Sunni), Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahá’í, and Sikh.
Bishop Alastair Redfern, chair of The Clewer Initiative, was privileged to be present at the original gathering and has now been invited to the United Nations in Geneva on 2nd December to mark the 10th anniversary, reflect on progress made and agree on plans for the next decade.
The Rt Revd Vivienne Faull, Bishop of Bristol is one of the 12 Episcopal Patrons of The Clewer Initiative alongside Bishops of Chelmsford, Chichester, Dover, Guildford, Hereford, Leeds, London, Norwich, Penrith, Southwark and Tonbridge.
