Amman, Jordan, Feb 19, 2013 / 09:39 am
Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, is visiting Jordan to take stock of the serious refugee situation created by the Syrian conflict and to assess how Catholic charities are responding.
"The humanitarian situation in Syria, and throughout the region is unsustainable. Some estimates speak of a million refugees, more than two and a half million displaced persons, and almost one hundred thousand deaths directly attributable to violence," a Feb. 18 press release from Cor Unum says.
Cardinal Sarah is being joined on his Feb. 19-21 trip by Monsignor Giampietro Dal Toso, who is the secretary of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. The pair will take part in the regional conference of Caritas in the Middle East, North Africa, and Horn of Africa, which is taking place in Jordan.
The pontifical council is responsible for overseeing the international Catholic relief agency Caritas, distributing funds to disaster victims and coordinating Catholic charitable efforts.