AFRICA/CAPE VERDE – Card. Sarr launches an appeal for the island of Fogo affected by the erupting volcano

Dakar (Agenzia Fides) - Cardinal Theodore Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar (Senegal), has launched an appeal for the people of the island of Fogo, in the archipelago of Cape Verde, hit by a dramatic volcano eruption.
"I invite pastors and administrators of the parishes of the Archdiocese of Dakar to raise the faithful’s awareness on the situation of the population of the island of Fogo during the celebrations, and to organize in each parish a special collection destined to these populations. Given the urgency of the situation, the collection has to be organized as soon as possible", says Card. Sarr in a statement sent to Agenzia Fides.
The Cardinal’s appeal recalls the one launched by the Inter-territorial Bishops’ Conference of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea Bissau, at the end of their Assembly held in Tambacounda (Senegal) from 25 November to 2 December.
According to reports sent to Agenzia Fides, the Pico de Fogo volcano has been erupting since November 23, hitting the population of Cha das Caldeiras, a town at the foot of the volcano on the island of Fogo, in the southern part of the archipelago of Cape Verde. 850 local residents have been evacuated and there have been no victims. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 15/12/2014)