guardian.co.uk,
Karen McVeigh in New York, Thursday 17 November 2011
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| Occupy Wall Street protesters at William Street and Exchange Place in Lower Manhattan. Photograph: Karen McVeigh/guardian.co.uk |
The
Episcopalian bishop of New York has waded into the debate over the Occupy movement
in a call for more governance of the economy to halt what he described as a
"deeply dangerous" disparity between rich and poor in America.
In a
statement published in response to the eviction of the protesters at Occupy Wall Street on Tuesday, Mark Sisk described the widening gap as "morally
wrong."
In the
piece, entitled "We must not serve capitalism, we must make it serveus", Sisk said he agreed with the protesters that capitalism, while a
productive way to order economic life, had no inherent morality.
He said:
"There should be no question that when an economic system fails to reflect
those communal values, it should be modified and governed until it does. To
say, as some do, that any attempt to control or guide our economic system is
neither wise nor possible is to admit that an economic system has decisive
control of our lives. For a Christian, such an admission would be nothing less
than to yield to idolatry."
Sisk, who
said he had visited protesters at Zuccotti Park, said they represented a
"surprisingly large swathe of the Amercian people" and that the
movement appeared to be gaining momentum.
He said:
"As the OWS protestors point out, wealth in our country is increasingly
concentrated in the hands of a few, the real income of the broad middle class
has not increased in more than a generation, and the ranks of the poorest among
us each year become ever more solidified.
"These
are the facts – and the reality behind them is, quite simply, morally wrong.
"Ultimately,
left unchecked, that reality is deeply dangerous. It is at odds with our vision
of ourselves, and as Americans we ignore it at the peril of our most cherished
national ideals. As Christians, we ignore it at the peril of our souls."
He said:
"Whatever happens next in Downtown Manhattan, it is terribly important
that the core energy behind this protest not be lost behind a blizzard of
slogans and rhetoric. The particular motivations of those protesting are,
undoubtedly, as mixed as the American people itself."
Sisk ends
by a call to curb economic imbalance: "We must – and I believe that this
is what lies at the core of the OWS protests – rein in the imbalances that have
caused our economic house to careen off course as though it is a
self-perpetuating, self-governing good."
Sisk's
statement was originally intended to be published in the New Yorker, but was
brought forward and published on the Diocese website in response to the
eviction of OWS protesters.
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