MESSAGE OF CARD. ANGELO SODANO
ON BEHALF OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI
TO HIS EM. CARD. KEITH PATRICK OÂ’BRIEN,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE MAKE POVERTY HISTORY
RALLY IN EDINBURGH

His Eminence
Cardinal Keith Patrick O'Brien
Archbishop
of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh

The Holy Father was pleased to be informed of the Make Poverty History rally beginning on Saturday 2 July in Edinburgh in preparation for the G8 summit. He sends greetings to all who are gathered for this event, united by their concern for the welfare of millions of our brothers and sisters afflicted by extreme poverty. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, "God intended the earth and all it contains for the use of everyone and of all peoples; so that the good things of creation should be available equally to all" (Gaudium et Spes, 69). For this reason, people from the world's richest countries should be prepared to accept the burden of debt reduction for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, and should urge their leaders to fulfil the pledges made to reduce world poverty, especially in Africa, by the year 2015. His Holiness prays for the participants in the rally and for the world leaders soon to gather at Gleneagles, that they may all play their part in ensuring a more just distribution of the world's goods. In the ardent hope that the scourge of global poverty may one day be consigned to history, he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing.

Cardinal ANGELO SODANO
Secretary of State