[Peace-discuss] What churches can do

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Here's an example of a suggestion we might make to the
churches we talk to as a result of the "Presences."  
It's particularly appropriate to ask church groups to
di(sin)vest from Peoria-based Caterpillar; they've just
announced a record 4Q and full-year 2005. Sales and revenues
rose 20 percent from 2004, and profit per share was up 40
percent; 4Q sales, revenues and profits were all-time records
for any quarter in Caterpillar history. --CGE]


  Church votes to sell off shares in Caterpillar
  Stephen Bates, religious affairs correspondent
  Tuesday February 7, 2006
  Guardian

The Church of England's general synod - including the
Archbishop of Canterbury - voted last night to disinvest
church funds from companies profiting from Israel's illegal
occupation of Palestinian territory.

The main target of the plan will be the US earth-moving
equipment company Caterpillar which has supplied vehicles used
by Israel to demolish Palestinian homes. When the worldwide
Anglican communion called for such a move, at a meeting last
summer, there followed protests from Israel and Jewish groups.
The church currently invests about £2.5m of its £900m share
portfolio in Caterpillar and had been engaged in negotiations
with the company about its activities. Caterpillar insists it
has not provided the earth movers directly to Israel but to
the US military which sold them on.

So passionate was the debate that it squeezed out an equally
contentious decision last Friday by the Church commissioners,
managers of the church's investment and property portfolio, to
sell off the century-old Octavia Hill housing estates for more
than 1,000 poor tenants in south London to property developers.

On the first day of its meeting in London, the general synod,
the church's parliament, heard denunciations of Israel's use
of the machines from one of its own bishops and from the
Anglican bishop of Jerusalem, who is Palestinian, whose letter
was read out.

The Rt Rev John Gladwin, Bishop of Chelmsford, who is chairman
of Christian Aid, told the meeting that the problem in the
Middle East was the government of Israel rather than
Caterpillar but that it was vital that the church should
invest only in organisations which behaved ethically.

Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006