"Fifty years ago, the infantile mortality rate was 20 million dead every year. Thanks to God, today this number has substantially decreased to 9,7 million infants dead every year. Although remarkable progress has been made, a lot more has to be done as 4 million infants are dying every year by 26 days after their birth," said today at the Vatican president Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, introducing the XXIII international Conference promoted by the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care. The subject of the conference, that will be attended by 625 experts among whom, doctors, scholars, researchers, bioethicists, theologians, sociologists, pastoralists and ministers from dozens of countries (41 international speakers), will be "ministry in the healing of sick children" and will take place in the Synod Hall from 13 to 15 November. Cardinal Barragan pointed out that "over the last decade, 2 million children were killed in armed conflicts, 6 million became disabled, ten of thousand were mutilated by anti-personnel mines, while 300,000 child soldiers were recently recruited."
