POPE CALL FOR HAITI AID AS CHOLERA SWEEPS NATION

November 13, 2010

Pope Benedict, conducting a devotional service in St. Peter’s Square on Sunday, said the global economy needed to be reformed.

The Roman Catholic pontiff also urged an international aid effort in cholera-stricken Haiti.

The Pope’s remarks came after a summit of the Group of 20 (G20) leading economies in Seoul that ended on Friday.

[Pope Benedict]:
“The on-going economic crisis, discussed also in the past days at the G20 summit, is to be taken in all of its seriousness; it has numerous effects and it sets a strong case to call for a profound revision of the global economic development model.”

He said that reassessing the role of the agricultural sector in the global economic model was imperative.

The Pope also urged governments around the world to encourage a more sustainable way of living to prevent environmental problems and to help the poor.

[Pope Benedict]:
“A very concerted effort should be made to pursue a new balance between agriculture, industry and services for the development to be sustainable and for no one to go without food and work, and that air, water and other primary resources remain preserved as universal values.”

The Pope, addressing the crowd from his window overlooking the square, also urged the international community to help Haiti, where at least 800 people have died and thousands are at risk of cholera.

[Pope Benedict]:
“In this moment, I would like to express my closeness to the dear population of Haiti, who, due to the terrible earthquake last January, now suffer from a serious epidemic of cholera. I encourage all those who are doing their utmost to address this new emergency, and while I assure you of my special remembrance in prayer, I appeal to the international community to generously aid this population.”

The United Nations estimates that up to 300,000 Haitians could contract cholera as the outbreak is set to spread across the battered Caribbean nation of nearly 10 million. Of these from 1% to 50% will die, depending upon relief efforts.

President Rene Preval’s refusal to accept offers of Cholera Vaccine must accentuate the crisis, forcing estimates of infection to higher levels.     Preval and his Minister of Health, Doctor Larsen say they don’t want to make vaccine available to the population  in the belief that those who receive it will not make an effort to clean the country up. Preval and Larsen say they would prefer to use the money to educate the people.      Observers note that both Preval and Larsen have received vaccination for Cholera.

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