Vatican official condemns violence in Congo, urges swift action

Published: 2008-12-01

GENEVA (CNS) -- The atrocities unfolding in Congo call for immediate condemnation and the protection of human rights, said a Vatican official. Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva, said, "The international community cannot stand by idle and needs to speak out clearly" and act swiftly to counter the "grave infringements of human rights" in Congo. The archbishop spoke Nov. 28 during a special session of the Human Rights Council focused on the situation in eastern Congo. The daily reports of human suffering, death, rape, looting, forced recruitments and the displacement of civilians because of fighting in North Kivu "are deeply troubling to the delegation of the Holy See," Archbishop Tomasi said. He urged the world community to condemn the violence and protect innocent victims by helping "to restore the rule of law and to search for the common good."

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