The annual meeting of the foundation’s administrative council, held this year in the Bolivian cities of Sucre and La Paz from July 7-12, approved 223 of 270 projects presented.
The decision was reported by the Vatican Press Office in a statement signed by Monsignor Francisco Azcona San Martín, under-secretary of the pontifical council «Cor Unum.»
Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia will receive the most help. Antilles, Cuba, and Honduras submitted the least number of requests.
Over the past decade, including this year, the foundation has approved 1,820 projects, the funding of which totaled just over $15 million.
The objective of the «Populorum Progressio» Foundation is to promote the integral development of the poorest rural communities of Latin America and the Caribbean, whether indigenous, mestizo, or Afro-American; and to be a sign and testimony of Christian fraternity and authentic solidarity.
The foundation is headquartered in the Vatican Council «Cor Unum.» Present at the meetings was Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, the foundation’s president and legal representative.
The administrative council, composed of six Latin American bishops, ensures the compliance with the foundation’s statutes and studies and approves the proposed projects for any given year.
