The Bishop of Pretoria

The Right Reverend Dr J.T. Seoka

Opening Remarks

at the occasion of the

Church Investors’ Breakfast Convention

14 october 2008

Pretoria

Distinguished guests, colleagues, friends and partners from the various ecclesiastical, financial, business and industrial sectors of the Country;
Ladies and Gentlemen

It is with both a sense of privilege and appreciation that I address you this morning. Your presence here is indeed an affirmation of our collective heartfelt desire to respond to the imperative of promoting ethical business practices, and of ensuring that socio-economic justice permeates all that we seek to do.

This pursuit of socio-economic justice resonates throughout the Gospel which the Church proclaims, and, as such, is a long established tradition within the Anglican Church in South Africa. Socio-economic justice is also a founding principle of the Constitution of our Country.

Yet, as I considered the strategic intent of our meeting here this morning, I reflected that the State of our Nation at this time would suggest that social justice is not a given. It is a matter that needs to be vigorously pursued in every quarter.

Recent events would suggest that our Nation seems to be characterised by divisiveness, politically, socially and economically. One thinks of the terrible acts of Xenophobia which have prevailed across the last months; of the crime which has become a daily reality, and of the politicking and factionalism which have emerged within our ruling party, threatening to compromise our constitutional Democracy and the principles on which it was founded.

Globally, the last weeks have seen the world economy under serious threat. It would seem that toxic debt, greed, and the desire for material wealth which is neither affordable or sustainable, have corrupted our systems of banking, in turn casting doubt upon the stability of the banking industry and all its associated structures.

Friends, Never before has the need for collaboration between sacred and secular entities been more important.

We take as our point of departure the model created in a number of countries, and across a spectrum of faiths. In each instance, Church and secular investment entities have entered into structured collaboration in order, amongst others, to integrate matters of ethics and investment, and in so doing, to encourage socially responsible business practices.

Experiences in each of these instances have demonstrated that entering into such structured collaboration yields enormously positive results. Perhaps, most importantly, such collaboration affords us the opportunity, in partnership, to meet the many challenges which confront us by doing the right thing, and in so doing, by choosing the ethical response as opposed to the response which affords us the greatest personal gain at the greatest cost to those around us.

This is first and foremost a Christian imperative. As I have alluded above, we live in a society characterised by greed, the promotion of self-interest, and rampant materialism. For many of our youth, identity has come to be defined in terms of status, power and privilege, with values such as integrity and compassion taking second place to unbridled competition and profit at all cost.

The Christian imperative demands a response to the world of today. The obligation to adopt a collective moral stance, and to empower each other to speak and act this stance in all our practices, cannot be ignored.

It is with this purpose in mind that we convened our gathering this morning. We are convinced that through dialogue and constructive engagement we might constitute a viable forum which will serve to increase the witness and influence of the Church in society. Through such a collaborative venture we might, amongst others, seek, for example,

to formulate policies relating to investment that are based on Christian ethical principles,
to execute such policies in practice; and
to act together on such matters as far as possible.

Drawing from the terms of reference of similar entities, the aims of such a forum would include the following:

To enable members to share information and views on ethical, social responsibility and corporate governance matters relating to investment.
To encourage members to formulate policies relating to investment which are based on Christian ethical principles and are consistent with these beliefs and traditions.
To commission research on matters relating to socially responsible business practices that are of common concern.
To enable members to make joint representation with a view to encouraging socially responsible business practices.
To enable members to make public statements either individually or in collaboration on matters of ethical principle relating to investment and socially responsible business practices.

In so doing, our advocacy role would be strengthened immeasurably, allowing us strategically to focus resources and efforts.

We must be mindful of the fact that faith communities are unique, having global reach, and lending considerable strength to corporate engagement. By acting together in partnership, our ability to give expression to the need for meaningful, sustainable, and socially responsible business practices would be significant.

Honoured guests, colleagues and friends,

In conclusion, I would urge you to reflect once again on the moral and ethical imperative facing each of us individually, and all of us collectively. Our hard-won democracy is founded upon a Charter which seeks to uphold principles of integrity, and of always valuing community before self. These self-same principles are powerfully proclaimed in the Gospel, and are fundamental to the realisation of the Kingdom of God.

The need for collaboration between the sacred and secular structures of our society is paramount. I would therefore encourage you to engage further on these matters this morning, so that through dialogue we might generate a number of principles and resolutions to guide us regarding the way forward. I am convinced that with collective Vision, and co-operative effort, we cannot fail.

I look forward to further engaging with you, and to sharing perspectives on the matters which I have briefly addressed. In so doing our witness to our moral stance, and to the teachings of our faith, may see tangible realisation.
I wish you well, and I thank you.