The Anglican church’s idea of ending poverty is to assemble a bunch of old people, many of them men in funny purple dresses, and get them to hold up traffic by parading along a street waving meaningless placards. After their exertions, they naturally repair to a posh venue to gorge themselves on delicacies.

Anglicans will gather in Ottawa and New York on Thursday, Sept. 25, to renew their call for governments around the world to demonstrate their commitment to end global poverty and other social justice priorities outlined by the United Nations Millennium Development goals (MDGs).

This is how Anglicans plan on ushering in the New Jerusalem.

Allowing free trade is a different approach and, according to the National Post is one that actually helps the poor rather than merely increasing the already substantial girth of pot-bellied bishops.

More human beings have escaped poverty in the past 20 years than in any equivalent period in the history of the world.

Since 1990, China and India have pulled hundreds of millions of their people out of want. Their people eat better, live longer, and enjoy some measure of security. As they have prospered, they have in turn enriched the advanced world, selling us cheap goods and services and buying our food and technology.

Ominously, the anti-recession actions undertaken by the advanced countries may well aggravate the global trade collapse. The U.S. House of Representatives stuck a “Buy American” provision into its US$800-billion-plus stimulus package. The Senate has now extended the measure, with a requirement that “all manufactured goods” purchased with government money come from US suppliers. This protectionist amendment carries the strong backing of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

More than the dialogue that so fascinates Obama, what the world needs most is trade, more trade. It is up to him to champion it, for his own country’s sake, and the world’s.

I wonder when Rowan Williams will march for free trade? Shortly after taking a stand against the rampant heresies in the North American church, I expect.