HUMANITARIAN MISSION COMPLETED IN KOREA

VATICAN CITY, DEC 1, 1999 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls made the following declaration this afternoon:

"Yesterday, a humanitarian visit to the People's Republic of Korea by Msgrs. Celestino Migliore, under-secretary for Relations with States and Paul R. Gallagher, nunciature counsellor at the Secretariat of State, came to a close.

"In response to the humanitarian appeal launched by the authorities in Pyongyang in 1995, the Holy See encouraged Catholic charity organizations to lend immediate aid. The call was generously taken up by various groups, among them Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Relief Services, Misereor, and the episcopal conferences of South Korea and Italy. For its part, the Holy See, for the fourth time, sent its representatives to North Korea, thus assuring the constant solidarity of the Holy Father with the North Korean people.

"The Holy See delegation, together with Kathi Zellweger, director of international cooperation of Caritas-Hong Kong, visited the district of Kujang in order to deliver hospital equipment for two hospitals in the region's main town. They then travelled to the province of Wonsan, accompanying a huge quantity of food aid destined for various centers involved in the care and education of orphan and handicapped children.
"In Pyongyang, the delegation had talks with Li In Gyn, vice minister for foreign affairs; Pak Jong Min, director of external affairs at the ministry of health; the directors of the Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee and with those responsible for the Association of Catholics of North Korea."

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