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VIDEO: Obama, Romney Answer Faith Leaders' Call to Address Poverty in Election

By Sandi Villarreal
Sep 12, 2012
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Christian leaders asked, and the presidential nominees answered. The poverty rate in America is still at a staggering 15 percent and 46.2 million Americans remain in poverty — what is your plan to address the problem?

The Circle of Protection, composed of Christian leaders from across the religious spectrum, released President Barack Obama's and GOP nominee Mitt Romney's video responses today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

"For years Christians have been separated by elections, but finally, we have a common ground moral issue: poverty," said Jim Wallis, president and CEO of Sojourners. "… It’s because of this unprecedented unity around those whom Jesus called ‘the least of these’ that the Presidential candidates felt they had to respond.” 

(Editor's Note: If you watch this ON YouTube, please be aware that since these two videos are hosted on the video-sharing site, the "Related Content" that pops up after the clips is not part of either video, or the Circle of Protection's / Sojourners' ability to change. We wanted everyone to be able to view these important candidate responses, so we chose to host them on the most "shareable" platform possible. We apologize that some people have seen unrelated content that goes against Sojourers' and COP's mission. Thank you for understanding.)

"We are calling on religious leaders and all people of faith to listen carefully to what the candidates have to say and when voting be mindful of the least among us," said Rev. David Beckman, president of Bread for the World. "Voting is a sacred obligation; supporting candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to reducing hunger and poverty is integral to good stewardship."

Sandi Villarreal is Associate Web Editor for Sojourners. You can follow her on Twitter @Sandi.

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