Vatican City, Feb 8, 2008 / 21:06 pm
Pope Benedict XVI has sent a donation of $50,000 through the Pontifical Council Cor Unum to help the victims of natural disasters in Bolivia, according to Bishop Jesus Juarez, general secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Bolivia.
Bishop Juarez noted that in his message for Lent, the Pope has invited the entire Church “to reflect on the value and practice of almsgiving.” The Pontiff, he said, explained that “evangelical almsgiving is not merely philanthropy; rather, it is a concrete expression of charity, the theological virtue that demands interior conversion to love of God and of neighbor.”
“Thus, the donation by the Holy Father is an eloquent sign of his concern and closeness to the Bolivian people,” Bishop Juarez stated. “This aid will be distributed during the coming days through the bishops of the dioceses that have been most affected,” he said.