The increase of situations of extreme poverty, Aids and drug-addiction in the countries in which Portuguese is spoken was denounced, and an appeal made to counter them, during the 5th meeting of the Presidencies of the Episcopal Conferences of the Portuguese-speaking countries, held in Guinea Bissau from 16 to 21 January. Eight bishops from Portugal, Angola-Sao Tomé and Principe, Guinea Bissau, Brazil, and Cape Verde were present at the meeting, during which says the final communiqué the social and pastoral situation of the various countries was examined. Great hopes were expressed in the consolidation of peace, but problems such as the great concentration of the population in urban areas, the excessively high number of children who have no access to education, and especially the growth of extreme poverty and hunger were pointed out. The causes are lack of jobs, low wages and high living costs. The projects promoted by the Portuguese-speaking Churches after their last meeting held in Cape Verde in January 2003 include the promotion of greater exchange in the training of future priests, solidarity in the maintenance of the clergy, the support of Catholic radio stations and projects for the training of the journalists who work in them.
