Pope Benedict XVI sends €50 thousand donation to help Horn of Africa

Pope Benedict XVI today sent a €50 thousand donation to the Apostolic Administrator of Mogadishu, Bishop Giorgio Bertin, as a concrete sign of solidarity with all those suffering drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. The gesture follows the Pope's appeal for the peolpe of the region this past Sunday. Chris Altieri spoke with Bishop Bertin, who expressed gratitude for the Holy Father’s act of solidarity. “By this gesture,” he said, “the Holy Father has invited other people – the international community, and, I would say, the Somali people themselves throughout the world, not to forget the terrible situation,” in Somalia and across the Horn of Africa. The United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that nearly 11 million people are in need of assistance as the Horn of Africa experiences its driest period in 60 years.

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