THE leaders of Ireland's main Christian churches have called for the governments on both sides of the border to deliver "more practical support" to households facing rising costs.
They say the unfolding island-wide cost of living crisis will hit those already vulnerable and living in poverty particularly hard.
The church leaders say they are "deeply concerned" by what they are seeing on the ground and believe more aid can be delivered via grassroots charity and community partnerships.
A joint statement said they were making the intervention "for the good and flourishing of everyone in our communities".
The Church Leaders Group (Ireland), which includes the Church of Ireland and Catholic Archbishops of Armagh, the Presbyterian Moderator and the presidents of the Methodist Church and Irish Council of Churches, said rising costs were affecting many households north and south but particularly those on low incomes.
"Projections for the autumn point to the situation worsening while too many people are already struggling to afford essentials like food and fuel and are in real danger of losing their homes, health or lives," they said.
“As leaders of churches with a presence across the island we are deeply concerned by what we are seeing on the ground, with the increasing energy and food prices disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, often leaving people with impossible choices to make, missing meals, and falling into arrears on bills."
The clerics said they were deeply concerned by the government response in both jurisdictions, in "meeting immediate needs and also in relation to longer term strategy".
"In Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Belfast Agreement created a statutory requirement for the Northern Ireland Executive to produce an anti-poverty strategy on the basis of objective need," the statement said.
"Almost 25 years later and this has never been agreed or produced."
Likewise, in the Republic, they said a "cross-party anti-poverty strategy is badly needed to address issues in a comprehensive and effective manner".
“We want to join our voices with many others, calling for more practical support to be delivered urgently through direct government initiatives in both jurisdictions and also via grassroots charity and community partnership," the church leaders said.
"This must go hand in hand with a longer term refocusing of government policies to deliver real and meaningful social justice and eliminate poverty across this island."
