Vatican to study 216 development projects in Latin America

(July 15, 2011) Despite the world’s economic crisis hitting also contributions to the Pope’s charity, the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, the Vatican department that coordinates the Catholic Church’s charity and development operations worldwide will not cut back on funding projects. A statement by the council said that this year 216 projects in 19 countries worth nearly $3 million have been presented to the Pontifical Council’s Populorum Progressio Foundation for poor farmers and peasants in Latin America. Colombia heads the list with 50 projects followed by Brazil (43), Peru (23), Ecuador (18) and El Salvador (13). The foundation is holding its governing body meeting near Belém do Pará city, in Brazil, July 19 to 22, where it will also examine projects in countries where indigenous communities live in particularly difficult situations. The various projects that its will discuss concern sectors such as agriculture, animal farming, drinking water, sanitation, education, health etc. This year, the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum”, meaning “one heart” is marking its 40th anniversary. Its president, Cardinal Robert Sarah of Guinea wrote an article on Vatican newspaper “L’Osservatore Romano” to mark the occasion, emphasizing the link between evangelization and charity. The Pontifical Council for human and Christian development was established by Pope Paul VI on 15 July 1971.