On September 27, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and Head of the Delegation of the Holy See to the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, gave an intervention during the Ministerial-level meeting on the Central African Republic (CAR).

In his statement, Archbishop Gallagher said that the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in the CAR reveals the present inability of the international community to muster the political will to effectively address the devastating conflict. Since last year’s High-Level Ministerial meeting, there has been a dramatic increase in violence, adding to the sufferings of millions of civilians who have been killed or who have fled as refugees to neighboring countries. Nearly half of the population is in need of basic humanitarian support. He urged the UN’s Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) to exert greater effort to guarantee the human rights of all citizens, protect them from armed aggression and atrocities, regardless of social status or religion. The international community, he added, must help stabilize the national Government through overcoming corruption, ensuring the rule of law, making available basic health assistance and education. Humanitarian assistance is gravely lacking at the moment, he said. He encouraged a sustainable political solution, nonviolence, honest dialogue, openness to forgiveness and reconciliation, religious tolerance and cooperation. He committed the Catholic Church to continuing to foster inclusive dialogue, humanitarian relief, and everything that promotes stability, peace and unity.

His statement can be found here.