BISHOP Max Davis, Bishop of the Military Ordinariate, today checked in on the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Chris Bowen, who has been on a long walk through the halls of Parliament in a personal bid to help end global poverty.

As part of Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion campaign, Minister Bowen has been participating in what is known as “Caritas Ks” by wearing a pedometer, which counts every single step he takes during this sitting week in Parliament.

Minister Bowen has chosen to take on this fundraising effort as a stand in solidarity with the poorest people on earth, many of whom have to walk long distances just to get water, food and basic necessities. He had already covered 27.44km by this morning (Thursday).

Before his meeting with Bishop Davis, Minister Bowen said he had long been an admirer of the work of Caritas, and was looking for a way that he could support their work, despite his work commitments.

“Caritas is such a great charity, doing tremendous work with those less fortunate then ourselves, I was delighted to take part when they asked for my support.” Mr Bowen said.

“So far I’ve managed to cover 34,300 steps since Monday, walking through our nation’s Parliament.

“While Parliament may not seem like the most ideal location to walk and raise funds, you’d be surprised to know how much distance I actually cover in a single day.”

Standing in for Archbishop Adrian Doyle (Chairman of Caritas Australia), Bishop Davis said he was curious to know how many kilometres a busy Minister like Mr Bowen could cover in a day or even a week in Parliament.

“I’m quite intrigued about the fact that Minister Bowen has chosen to do this. He has a very busy job, and making a stand like this speaks volumes about his own human values.”

“By simply wearing a pedometer for a week, he is able to stand in solidarity with the poorest of the poor, reminding us of the very fortunate existence we have,” Bishop Davis said.

Mr Bowen’s Caritas Ks effort ends tomorrow/today. He is hoping to generate $5000 for Project Compassion.

Keep an eye on Minister Bowen’s Caritas Ks count and support the poorest of the poor at Mr Bowen’s Caritas Ks page at: http://my.caritasfundraising.org.au/bowenmp

Media Contacts: Caritas Australia – Ryan Heffernan – 0408 869 833
Minister Bowen’s office – Nathan Alexander – (02) 9604-0710