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Pope Francis has established an emergency fund with a first contribution of $750,000 to help developing countries deal with the pandemic. Anyone can contribute to the fund, which has been established through the Pontifical Mission Societies.
The statement issued on Monday by Agenzia Fides, the Information Service of the Pontifical Mission Societies, went on to say that the money will directly go to “mission countries” through the Church’s structures and institutions.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the beloved former archbishop of Manila who has just recently taken the job of prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, noted how “the Church is often on the front lines of major threats to human well-being. In Africa alone, there are over 74,000 religious sisters and over 46,000 priests operating 7,274 hospitals and clinics, 2,346 homes for elderly and the vulnerable, and educating over 19 million children in 45,088 primary schools. In many rural areas they are the only providers of healthcare and education. The Holy Father is calling upon the Church’s entire vast network to face the challenges ahead.”
No one is alone
Pope Francis appealed to all “Church entities” and individual who “are able and desirous to help, to contribute to this fund through the Pontifical Mission Societies in each country.”
In explaining the aim of the fund, the president of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Archbishop Giovanni Dal Toso, noted that poor countries are certainly not exempt from Coronavirus. “Through the Church’s activity of preaching the Gospel and of practical aid through our vast network, we can show that no one is alone in this crisis. In this sense, the Church’s institutions and ministers play a vital role. This is the Holy Father’s intention in establishing this fund. While so many are suffering, we remember and reach out to those who may have no one to care for them, thus showing forth the love of God the Father.”
The Pontifical Mission Societies
Through the Pontifical Mission Societies, the pope is able to support more than 1,110 dioceses. They are located for the most part in Asia, Africa, Oceania and part of the Amazon region.
Contributions can be made via bank wire transfer to: IT84F0200805075000102456047 (SWIFT UNCRITMM) for: Amministrazione Pontificie Opere Missionarie, indicating: Fund Corona-Virus
Donations made to local branches might be more convenient for some:
Find the Pontifical Mission Societies in the UK here.
In the USA, here.
In Australia, here.
And today we celebrate...