Katie Barge, director of communications strategy for

Faith in Public Life (FPL), one of the sponsoring organizations of The Compassion Forum, says the Forum helped to achieve FPL ’s goals by “putting the faith community’s bridge-building leadership on moral

issues in front of the presidential candidates, an international audience, and in churches across America. Issues discussed at the Forum, such as Darfur, climate change, poverty, HIV, torture, and abortion reduction haven’t received enough attention in debates and on the campaign trail, so The Compassion Forum filled a real need to expand, elevate, and deepen the debate. The Forum featured religious leaders from across the ideological spectrum who are dedicated to compassion issues and showed the nation the faith community’s positive commitment to bridging political and religious divides to address these issues.”

Moderators Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek magazine (left), and Campbell Brown, CNN anchor (second from left), greet Senators Obama and Clinton on stage during the live broadcast.