ARCHBISHOP CORDES SPEAKS ON DESERTIFICATION

VATICAN CITY, DEC 23, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was the text of a speech given by Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", at the Fourth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The meeting was held in Bonn, Germany, from December 11 to 22 and the Holy See delegation was led by Archbishop Cordes, who was accompanied by Msgr. Frank Dewane, an official of "Cor Unum."

Archbishop Cordes highlighted the importance of the phenomenon of desertification which affects all regions of the world, especially the African continent. He also recalled that "populations living in areas experiencing desertification are often the most marginalized communities of a region and live on the edge of hunger, struggling to maintain an existence in the harshest conditions."
The archbishop went on; "In 1984, Pope John Paul II established the 'Foundation of the Sahel'... on behalf of what he termed 'the thirsty lands'." On that occasion, said archbishop Cordes, the Holy Father said; "After consulting my brothers in the episcopate of the region of the Sahel, it seemed opportune to give a more organic, permanent and effective form to the Church's aid intended for Sahel in a spirit of charity, authentic human promotion and collaboration with all the organizations committed to aid programs." The aim of the foundation is to promote the training of personnel, mostly women, to combat desertification by self-help initiatives that help the humiliated to discover their capacity and dignity.

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