Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown was received in a personal audience yesterday (February 19) by the Holy Father Benedict XVI and later met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Great Britain and the Holy See have found a common line of action on the issue of offering support to the populations in the Southern Hemisphere through a campaign of vaccinations for children in poor countries, through sales of bonds. The first of these bonds has been purchased by the Holy Father, in a strong symbolic act that has led to an extraordinary collection of funds.
It was Gordon Brown himself who launched the initiative when he was still Chancellor of the Exchequer (i.e. Minister of Economic Affairs) and explained the initiative in the L'Osservatore Romano. As of today, over 1.6 billion dollars have been collected, leading to the immunizations of 500 million minors in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. The United Kingdom and the Holy See have always worked together in support of the “International Finance Facility for Immunisation” and the “Advanced Market Commitment.” This initiative was among the arguments treated in the dialogue yesterday in the Vatican.
At the close of the audience, Holy See Press Office Director Father Federico Lombardi explained that the British Prime Minister had presented the Pope with a small cross in a glass encasing, with a photo of an Ethiopian woman with her newborn son and the words “Thank you,” a gesture of gratitude for the campaign of vaccinations for children.
On the agenda for their discussion was the economic crisis and its severe effects on poorer nations, especially as London will be hosting the G20, the summit for wealthy nations and developing nations, in an effort to help the poorest nations. A note from the Holy See Press Office resumed the contents of the audience granted by the Holy Father to the British Prime Minister: “The cordial conversations dealt with the present global economic crisis and the duty to pursue initiatives benefiting the less-developed countries, and to foster co-operation on projects of human promotion, respect for the environment and sustainable development. Hope was expressed for a renewed commitment on the part of the international community in settling ongoing conflicts, particularly in the Middle East. Finally, several bilateral themes were brought up, of interest above all for the Catholic community in the United Kingdom."
Brown himself pointed out the day beforehand, in L'Osservatore Romano, how today we find ourselves before one of the greatest economic challenges of our time and mentioned that the crisis we now experience will probably be defined by historians as the first economic crisis truly on a global level. He also showed that the growth expectations for 2009 are near zero, and from there has been the fall in commerce and flow of capital and the spread of unemployment.
While this is the general panorama, Caritas Internationalis has issued an exhortation from the Pope, in light of the upcoming G20, asking the wealthier nations not to cancel their support for the poorest of the world as a result of the crisis. Caritas' Secretary General, Lesley-Anne Knight, affirmed that “Caritas hopes that the inspiration from Pope Benedict may serve as a reminder to the world leaders that the poor should not be excluded from the plans to save the global economy.” “The world leaders should resist internal pressures and show true leadership to convince voters that helping the poor is not only an option in given moments, but a moral responsibility.” According to Caritas Internationalis, developing countries will be severely effected by the recession as a result of the drop in demand for raw materials, capital flow run dry, and the high food prices, which will leave another hundred million people destitute. (Mtp) (Agenzia Fides 20/2/2009)
