On Monday, the Vatican's main charity Caritas International warned that millions of people could die as a result of the “ruthless” U.S. decision to “recklessly” stop USAID funding. Caritas asked governments to urgently call on the Trump administration to reverse course.
It's not unusual for a pope to address a country’s bishops or faithful to deliver a specific message. Francis wrote to German Catholics in 2019 to express concern about the German church’s reform process. He wrote to the faithful of the Middle East and in Ukraine last year to express his solidarity in a time of war. Pope Benedict XVI wrote to the Irish faithful in 2010 following the devastating revelations of the country’s clergy sexual abuse crisis.