Cardinal Sarah to Jordan for aid to Syrian refugees

February 18, 2013 - The head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council Cor Unum is flying to Jordan on Tuesday to attend a meeting that is seeking to give a more effective thrust to the Catholic Church’s charity programmes in the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa. The Vatican said Council president Cardinal Robert Sarah and Council secretary, Msgr. Giampietro Dal Toso will attend the regional forum of the Catholic Charity, Caritas, of the three regions. The meeting will particularly focus on humanitarian aid to refugees and victims of the violent conflict in Syria, that has killed and estimated 100 thousand lives, rendered around a million refugees and displaced over 2.5 million. The severe winter is exacerbating the situation. All Caritas representatives of the region as well as representatives of local Churches will participate in the meeting. During their Feb. 19-21 trip to Jordan, Cardinal Sarah and Msgr. Dal Toso will visit shelters hosting refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict. A meeting with King Abdullah of Jordan is also in the schedule.