VATICAN CITY - 29 April 2008 - 120 words
Pope
appeals for action on Darfur, Somalia and Burundi
Pope Benedict yesterday launched appeals for Somalia, Darfur and
Burundi. where, he said: "news continues to cause profound
suffering and intense concern".
Addressing pilgrims in St Peter's Square after the Angelus, he
said: "In Somalia, and especially in Mogadishu, armed conflicts
render the humanitarian situation ever more dramatic for that
dear people, who for too many years have been oppressed by the
burden of brutality and poverty".
"In Darfur, despite a few momentary glimmers of hope, the
tragedy continues for hundreds of thousands of defenceless and
abandoned people".
Finally, the Pope turned his attention to Burundi, calling on
all sides involved in recent conflict "to return without
delay to the path of dialogue and reconciliation", especially
"following the bombardments of recent days which terrorised
the inhabitants of the capital Bujumbura".
He concluded: "I trust that local political authorities,
the leaders of the international community and all people of good
will make every effort to put an end to the violence and to honour
the commitments they have taken on, so as to lay solid foundations
for peace and development".
Source: VIS
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