Vatican City, Jul 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The Pope has expressed his concern and solidarity for the people of Darfur, Sudan who have been subject to what United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan has called “ethnic cleansing,” and has sent Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum" as his special envoy to the country.
Archbishop Cordes, who left today for Khartoum, Sudan to express the Holy Father's concern for and solidarity with the populations of Darfur, received a letter written by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state.
In the letter, dated July 16 and made public today, the cardinal notes “the recent agreement between the government of Khartoum and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army-Sudanese People Liberation Movement (SPLA-SPLM) has opened some good possibilities for peace and development for the country.”
“However,” continues the letter, “the serious humanitarian situation in Darfur, which has recently stirred up a public outcry, is a cause of great concern for Pope John Paul II.”