Pope calls on rich nations to help Africa become continent of peace

Published: 2004-05-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II called on the world's richer nations to help Africa become a continent of justice and peace. "The continent urgently needs peace, justice and reconciliation as well as the help of industrialized countries who are called to sustain its development," said the pope in a written message sent on the occasion of an international gathering in the Vatican on development in Africa. The pope emphasized that Africans need proper development that allows them to become the true "protagonists of their own future, the actors and subjects of their destiny." He wrote, "May the international community be able to contribute, with determination and generosity, toward the promotion of justice and peace" in Africa. He also invited Catholics across the world "to support their brothers of Africa, so that they could have a more human and fraternal life."

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