Pope appeals for int’l solidarity amid Ebola, mining crises

During his weekly Angelus address on August 23, Pope Leo XIV expressed solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic, praying for the victims of a deadly Ebola outbreak and a fatal mining landslide. Speaking from St. Peter's Square, the pontiff called for an effective international response to the crises.

The pope’s appeal for the Democratic Republic of Congo focused on an Ebola outbreak first declared on May 15, 2026. According to recent United Nations and World Health Organization data, the epidemic has become the deadliest in the nation’s history, with over 2,500 reported fatalities. The outbreak involves the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there are currently no approved treatments. The World Health Organization has described the pace of transmission in the country as “exceptional,” noting the virus has spread across six of its 26 provinces. Health officials report distributing a vaccine, and the UN is sending 20,000 doses of the Ervebo vaccine in hopes it will provide some protection. Experts suspect the disease may have begun circulating months before the official declaration, and its spread has been...