Pope Francis is sending aid to the populations affected by the floods in South Sudan and the fires in Greece, announced today the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development.

Following the heavy rains and devastating floods that hit South Sudan last August, displacing more than 12,000 persons and causing the damage or destruction of 6,000 homes and extensive material damage, Pope Francis, via the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, has decided to send US$ 75,000 as a contribution to emergency activities and programs to sustain the population in the hard-hit diocese of Malakal.

Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in South Sudan this year, affecting more than 400,000 people so far, according to United Nations estimates, while the rainy season continues.

Many of the hardest-hit communities are in Jonglei State, where wetlands and tributaries of the White Nile overflowed as seasonal rains arrived earlier than usual.

The Holy Father has also decided to send an initial contribution of €50,000 in support of the people in Greece who suffered serious losses last August when fires broke out on the island of Evia, in the Attica peninsula and in the Peloponnese region, destroying more than 100,000 hectares of land, fields, and crops. This sum will be allocated to the activities promoted in the area by Caritas Hellas.

The 2021 Greece wildfires are multiple wildfires burning in Greece since early August 2021, which have killed 3 people, injured at least 20 others, and burned dozens of homes, after a historic heatwave for the country with the highest temperatures reaching 47.1 °C (116.8 °F).

The contributions sent are intended to express Pope Francis’ feelings of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement to the people and territories affected, according to the dicastery’s statement They accompany prayer and are part of the aid that is being activated throughout the Catholic Church, which also involves numerous charitable organizations.