World IN BRIEF : RWANDA : Rural Poor Need Aid, Pontiff Says
From Times staff and Wire reports
Pope John Paul II, in Kabgayi, Rwanda, called for a narrowing of the gap between Africa’s urban elite and rural poor and urged peasants in this infertile nation to redouble efforts to improve the quality of their lives. The pontiff said Rwandan peasants, who make up more than 80% of the population of 7 million, have the right to demand the same health, social and administrative facilities, including credit banking, as their urban counterparts.
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