A new appeal, after that of 16th December, was made by Benedict XVI for the G8, which opens today in Heiligendamm, Germany. During the traditional Wednesday audience, the Pope asked the leaders of the G8 to "keep the promises of substantially raising aids to development for the neediest populations, especially those of the African continent". In particular, the Pontiff asked them to pay "special attention" to the second greatest objective of the millennium, that is, "the achievement of primary education for everyone; the reassurance that every boy and girl will complete the whole cycle of primary school by 2015". An objective that Benedict XVI considers "an integral part of the achievement of all the other objectives of the millennium; it is a guarantee of the strengthening of the results achieved; it is the starting point for the sustainable, independent development processes". "We must bear in mind he concluded that the Catholic Church has always been in the front line of education, specially in the poorest countries". A commitment shared with other Christian churches and religious groups and "a reality that the Governments and the international organisations are called to acknowledge, to promote and to support, partly through the delivery of adequate funds".
