Holy See pledges Catholic Church’s commitment in Somalia

(February 25.2012) The Catholic Church wants to participate in the work of reconciliation, peace, and reconstruction in Somalia, a country largely forgotten with its burden of war, famine and poverty. Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi made the comment in his weekly editorial, ‘Ottava Dies’, after representatives of more than 40 countries met on Thursday in London to review the alarming situation in Somalia. Since the 1994 withdrawal of international peacekeepers from the troubled country, world powers have largely left Somalia to anarchy, chaos and conflict. Fr. Lombardi hoped that the London meeting would be a new starting point for the reconstruction of state institutions, practically non-existent for more than twenty years, destroyed by instability and civil war. Jesuit priest noted that war, famine and poverty, the ancient scourges of humanity have raged, and continue to rage against a people removing from their memory any trace of hope. Fr. Lombardi noted that Somalia’s tiny Catholic community has given beautiful examples of martyrdom, in solidarity with the suffering people. He recalled a few of them, particularly Italian volunteer doctor, Annalena Tonelli, who days before she was killed in her hospital in 2003 wrote: “May the whole Church understand …. that love that is truth, goodness, non-violence, forgiveness, rivers of compassion.” Fr. Lombardi said, “With this spiritual heritage, we long to participate in the work of reconciliation, peace, and reconstruction in Somalia.”