Ten years of embargo have moved oil-rich Iraq to the 126th place among nations in terms of human development, said Caritas, the organization that coordinates the aid of Catholic bishops´ conferences worldwide.
With assistance from sister organizations, Caritas-Iraq has made it possible for 250,000 people to benefit from food distribution, and 18,000 newborns and young children to receive medical care.
It has financed the reconstruction of homes and aqueducts in several parts of the country, though only enough to cover «a small part of the present needs in Iraq,» Caritas said in a press statement.
The statement quotes a 1998 address of John Paul II, in which he stated that the «weak and innocent» should not pay «for the errors of other persons.» The statement adds, «There is no justification to maintain the present global economic sanctions against Iraq.»
