Pope Leo XIV appeals for international aid as Somalia crisis deepens

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday appealed for greater international assistance to Somalia, where violence and extreme weather are worsening an already severe humanitarian crisis, particularly for women and children.

After reciting the Angelus on Sept. 20, the pope said: “With great concern, I am following the humanitarian crisis unfolding in certain areas of Somalia, where acts of violence and extreme weather events are exacerbating the already precarious living conditions of the population, particularly of women and children.”

“I hope for the generous involvement of the international community, so that our brothers and sisters may not lack the necessary assistance,” he added.

According to UNICEF, about 4.8 million people in Somalia need urgent humanitarian assistance, including some 3 million children. The U.N. agency has also warned that about 1.9 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, including nearly half a million experiencing severe acute malnutrition.

The pope also used his remarks after the Angelus to emphasize the importance of historical memory.

He sent his blessing to residents of Pescantina, near Verona, who gathered Sunday at a monument honoring those…