L’Osservatore Romano praises debt relief for 18 poor countries

Vatican City, Jun 13, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano is praising the agreement reached by the G8 countries to provide complete debt relief to 18 countries considered among the poorest of the world.

The paper noted that John Paul II had presented this idea to the international community as a goal of civilization and progress.

Gordon Brown, Great Britain’s Economy Minister, announced Saturday that the G8 countries have agreed to cancel the debt of Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, totaling more than 40 billion dollars.

The secretary general for Caritas International, Duncan MacLaren, said the announcement represents “a step in the right direction” but he warned, “There is still much to be done if we really want to offer hope to the poorest countries of the world that they can get out of the desperate situation in which they find themselves.”