” ” "We are grateful for the Pope’s appeal that attracted the attention of the international community to the dramatic situation in Somalia". This was stated, as relayed by the agency Fides, by mgr. Giorgio Bertin, bishop of Djibuti and apostolic administrator to Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. Yesterday, Benedict XVI, in his audience, had said that he "follows with trepidation the sad news about the uncertain humanitarian situation in Somalia, especially in Mogadishu, increasingly affected by social insecurity and poverty". "I realise it is difficult to do something in such a complicated situation as the Somali one, but the international community should tale its responsibilities and help that exhausted population. The Somalis must be the first to look for a solution to bring peace back into their country. This is why I make a new appeal to the diaspora and to the most reasonable people in Somalia, that they may do something", says the Apostolic Administrator, who thinks the Declaration for conflict resolution and peace-building by the Somali religious leaders gathered in Hargheisa, the capital of the self-proclaimed Independent Republic of Somaliland, "is a very important document", not least because it states "the other religions are accepted".
