_WORLD WATCH______________________________
_______________Afghanistan____________________

Sounding the alarm
War breeds starvation

At the close of his regular public audience on February 28, Pope John Paul II called attention to the “grave humanitarian crisis” that is unfolding in Afghanistan.

The Pope spoke of the “alarming news” that many people have died recently because of a famine aggravated by the country’s long civil war. “Thousands of people are at risk of dying of hunger and cold,” the Pontiff said. Those who are endangered are “particularly children, the sick, and the elderly,” he added. United Nations officials have estimated that as many as 1 million people could face starvation, with many already dead.

“I encourage humanitarian organizations in their efforts to serve the urgent needs of the Afghan people,” the Pope continued. He urged greater international efforts to bring an end to “a war that has been too long and too bloody.”.”