World FoodProgram Director thanks Pope Benedict XVI for aid to poor

(Tues.29 May, 2007):- Pope Benedict XVI met with the executive director of the U.N. World Food Program - WFP, in the Vatican on Monday. Josette Sheeran thanked the Pontiff and expressed her wishes that collaboration with the Church can continue and be strengthened. She said : "I hope that the already excellent collaborative work with the Catholic Church which, like the WFP, is an institution with truly global reach, can be strengthened further." Sheeran also thanked the Pontiff for his invaluable support in favor of the world's hungry. A number of Catholic organizations work with the WFP. The list includes Caritas Internationalis, which distributed 85,000 tons of food in 2006. Sheeran said: "In crisis and conflict areas around the world -- as in Darfur, Somalia, Chad, the Occupied Palestinian territories -- WFP staff often work in dramatic situations, where their own safety may be at risk, to help those who are most vulnerable. Sheeran told Pope Benedict that his moral authority and his appeals for peace, justice and security are highly encouraging for them. “ We know we can always count on the partnership and precious help of Catholics and Catholic organizations," Sheeran added. During the audience, Sheeran invited the Pope to visit WFP's headquarters in Rome. Later she met with Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, - Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States.