The Holy See Delegation has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on the subject of religious freedom. Archbishop Silvano M.Tomasi said in many countries “the gap is growing between widely accepted stated principles, and their daily application on the ground.” He pointed out “rising restrictions on religion affect more than 2.2 billion people.”
Archbishop Tomasi also told the Council “religions are not a threat, but a resource. They contribute to the development of civilizations, and this is good for everyone.”
VATICAN AID GROUP FOR AFRICA GIVES $2M TO 200 PROJECTS
Choosing causes ranging from drought to education, the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel has assigned this year more than $2 million to more than 200 projects in the nine countries assisted by the group.
The administrative council of the foundation recently concluded its 30th meeting in Rome.
The sahel is the sub-Saharan region of Africa, which includes countries on the west coast and central part of the continent.
Monsignor Giampietro Dal Toso, secretary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, of which the foundation is part, told Vatican Radio that the administrative council had focused its attention on the financing of a number of projects, involving “the struggle against desertification and drought, as well as irrigation and education.”
Monsignor Dal Toso noted that the re-emergence of the problem of drought in the Sahel highlights the urgency of the measures taken. The lack of food resulting from the impact of drought on agriculture “will reach its peak in the coming months. … Both the international community and, more specifically, a number of Catholic organizations are seeking to intervene to prevent this crisis,” he said.
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 29, 2012 (Zenit.org)