Expo collection to Pope’s charity for refugees in Jordan ?
Pope Francis has decided that the collection from the Holy See’s pavilion at the international Expo in Milan, Italy will go to meet the needs of refugee children and families living in Jordan, saying it is the weakest sector that is hit by the conflict in the Middle East. The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, that is organizing the pavilion is overseeing the papal initiative together with the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, that oversees the Church’s charities worldwide.
Available figures show that Jordan is home to some 700,000 refugees. Registered refugees from neighbouring Iraq number some 50,000, of whom 34 percent are children. The Milan Expo collection will be channeled to the refugees through local churches where they are been housed, and will be used mostly in funding projects in education and in meeting the basic needs of families. Visitors to the Holy See’s pavilion can make a contribution directly at the Expo or online at www.expoholysee.org or www.corunumexpo.va.