The Synod agreed unanimously to join the Jubilee coalition which is campaigning to have Third World debt eased in 2000.
Dean David Chillingworth, of the Dromore diocese, said "a cancellation of the backlog of unpayable debt will remove a significant barrier to progress and justice" in the affected countries, most of which are in Africa. As an example of what was involved, he said for every £2 spent on health in Uganda, £11.50 was spent servicing debt.
The plan for the Jubilee arose from an Old Testament idea under which all debts were written off and people were freed "to ensure no one was permanently indebted or enslaved".
The Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Right Rev Robert Warke, said people might query the effectiveness of a campaign on this issue. "Some say cynically, `can you really influence big boys such as the IMF and the World Bank?' " he said. "But the answer is `yes'. Already they are meeting with church leaders."
The Bishop of Down and Dromore, the Right Rev Harold Miller, said up to 70 agencies were already allied to the Jubilee 2000 coalition and though Britain could lose £2.5 billion through it, the House of Commons seemed well disposed. Strangely, one of the European countries most reluctant to come on board with the idea seemed to be Germany. Strange, he thought, as that country had itself benefited so much from the writing off of its debts.
Mr Pat Comerford of the Dublin diocese, supporting the motion "with all my heart", thought it ironic the church would be supportive of such a proposal while at the same time continuing to invest its pension funds in companies which manufactured arms. "A lot of Third World debt is incurred through arms purchases," he said.
An earlier debate concluded yesterday with the Synod narrowly refusing to allow Dean George Hilliard of Cloyne sell silver so he could pay for repairs to Cloyne Cathedral. Following a contentious discussion, in which those who opposed him were described by the dean as "the antiquities brigade", for which he apologised later, the Synod voted 87 to 154 that he should employ more usual fundraising methods.