South Africa: Vatican expresses solidarity with beleaguered foreigners

The Vatican has sent a message of solidarity with the foreign refugees and migrants in South African who have come come under mob attack'. A telegram, sent by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerants to the Catholic Archbishop of Johannesburg and chairman of the SACBC (Conference of Catholic Bishops of Botswana, South Africa and Swaziland), Monsignor Buti Joseph Tlhagale expressed the "profound grief" of the Church." "After the tragic events of the past days that caused death, injury and destruction among many migrants and refugees in South Africa, in the name of the entire Dicastery, deep condolences to all the families of the deceased and solidarity to those affected by such deplorable acts". "I assure of our prayer and moral support, confident that, with the fraternal interventions of the Church and of all people of good will, a lasting solution for this and other such situations will be found and that the people in the region will again live in peace, solidarity and integral development", concludes the message signed by the president and secretary of the Pontifical Council, respectively Cardinal Martino and Archbishop Agostino Marchetto. Source: MISNA