Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
23 October 2007
Vatican — Pope Benedict XVI has called for international support for Central African Republic (C.A.R.) to overcome poverty and other current difficulties it is faced with.
The Pope made this appeal on Saturday after meeting with the C.A.R President, François Bozizé, ZENIT reports.
The two leaders discussed the situation in the C.A.R, with particular reference to the peace process and the role played by the Church in national dialogue, health care and education.
The CAR, one of the world's poorest nations, has been politically unstable since independence in 1960. Life expectancy is 38 years for men and 40 years for women, according to the UN. President Bozize seized power in a coup in 2003.
About 25 percent of the nation's 4 million inhabitants are Catholic. Another 25 percent are Protestant, 15 percent are Muslim, and the remaining 35 percent adhere to indigenous belief systems.
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