Pope Francis calls for not forgetting Somalia

Pope Francis during the Angelus prayer, Sunday August 14, 2022. © Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

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At the end of the Angelus prayer on Sunday August 14 in Saint Peter's Square, the Sovereign Pontiff appealed to the international community to mobilize towards the Horn of Africa.

This region is affected by severe drought and famine.

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With our correspondent in Rome,

Faced with the drought which has been affecting

for many months , Pope Francis did not hide his concern at a humanitarian situation which is getting worse every day: "

»

The populations of Somalia and parts of neighboring countries, who already live in very precarious conditions, are now in mortal danger due to drought.

May international solidarity respond effectively to this emergency.

#PrayTogether

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex_fr) August 14, 2022

Diverted attention

But the war in Ukraine and all these consequences unfortunately divert the attention of the international community, lamented François, who drew up the urgent priorities according to him for Somalia: the fight against hunger, health and education.

The Holy See does not have a diplomatic representative in Somalia, but an apostolic delegate, stationed in Addis Ababa.

Last week, he was in Mogadishu where he notably met the Somali government's special envoy for humanitarian emergencies, Abdurahman Abdishakur.

The Catholic Church is mobilizing on the spot to come to the aid of the most affected populations, via its Caritas Internationalis network.

►Also read: The drought in Somalia has displaced a million people

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