Katholiek Nieuwsblad Quotes Eric LeCompte on African Bishop Statement. Read the full article here.

African bishops want more international support for the poor

KN Editorial

African bishops want finance ministers worldwide to take measures to end the isolation of poor and vulnerable people. They issued an appeal this week in the run-up to the meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

During the meetings to be held on April 22 and 23, the IMF and the World Bank will discuss the issues after the global corona pandemic. Many countries are experiencing high inflation as a result of the pandemic. They also have to deal with the consequences of the extensive economic sanctions against Russia in response to the war in Ukraine.

Eric LeCompte, director of a US alliance of religious NGOs working with SECAM, said the bishops believe it is time to better serve Africa's needs.

During the pandemic, Africa faced severe job losses and it became clear that extreme poverty would increase significantly, he said. But nothing happened.

"This is a major concern of bishops in Africa," he added in an interview with CNS news agency. “We want to work more closely together in global advocacy, looking at all the changes and all the solutions needed to tackle these kinds of issues.” They also want to give those affected in Africa a voice.