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The Executive Council of the Union of the Catholic African Press (UCAP) has commended Pope Francis for creating a Commission that will confront the challenges the world is facing in the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath.

The Commission to be led by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development under the leadership of Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson is to express the church’s concern and love for the entire human family in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Dicastery will work with other Vatican offices to coordinate the work of analyzing and reflecting on the socio-economic and cultural challenges of the future and propose how to address them.

An official statement issued by Mr George Sunguh, the President of UCAP and copied the GNA said: It’s our humble appeal to Catholic journalists across Africa, to support the Commission in line with the encyclical letter, Laudato Si, by Pope Francis released on May 25, 2015.

“In this letter, the Holy Father had called for all to take care of our ‘Common Home’- the Planet.
Pope Francis had asked all people to be united by the planet that they share to be involved in creating a new dialogue about the future of the planet.

“As Catholic journalists, we should heed this call by supporting the Commission on this noble cause by volunteering our journalistic skills and platforms by identifying and highlighting the real needs of our local churches- especially those in poor areas as per the Papal appeal,” it added.

The statement said the Commission also dedicated itself to research and the study of the pandemic in close conjunction with the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

“Our colleagues specializing in Science and Health matters are hereby called upon to volunteer their expertise, where necessary for the success of this mission.
“We should not leave out the vulnerable groups such as prisoners, widows, orphans and street families, who are all going through very difficult moments due to the pandemic.

“We appreciate what the church is already doing to alleviate the pain the vulnerable people are going through, following the Lock Down and Curfew imposed by various countries.

We should continue to pray for care and healing of our brothers and sisters as we carry out our duty as journalists guided by the church teachings, it added.