"We must not be indifferent to the tragedy of the hungry and the thirsty,"
the pope said in an address to hundreds of pilgrims following the weekly
Angelus prayer at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, just outside Rome.
"Many brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa are suffering these days
from the dramatic consequences of the famine, aggravated by war and the lack
of stable institutions," he said, calling for "compassion"
and "fraternal solidarity."
Commenting on Sunday's Bible passage on the miracle of Jesus Christ
multiplying loaves and fish, he said: "Jesus reminds us of our
responsibility - to do everything we can to help those who are hungry and
thirsty."
The United Nations has declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia
but the effects of the drought have been felt more widely across the
war-torn country, as well as in parts of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and
Uganda.
"It is an immense task. In this time of holiday, let us not forget to
open our hands and our hearts to come to the aid of those who need it,"
the pope said.
"Let us give food and share our bread with the needy," he added.
Aid agencies have stepped up efforts to aid the worst affected from the
drought in Somalia, with the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) starting an
airlift of food aid into the capital Mogadishu last week despite battles in
the city.
But charities say more international donations are needed and relief efforts
have been hampered by the combat, as well as a ban on some humanitarian
agencies by the Islamist group Al-Shabab which controls much of southern
Somalia.
The Vatican's official daily, Osservatore Romano, said there was "a race
against time" to save the people of Somalia and said the international
community should take a more active mediation role between rival Somali
clans.
"If international players do not manage to do this, then even a massive
humanitarian effort by UN agencies, including the WFP's airlift, and by
non-governmental organisations will at best slow the emergency," it
said.
US President Barack Obama on Friday called for an international response to
avoid a "looming humanitarian crisis in Eastern Africa."
"I think it hasn't got as much attention here in the United States as it
deserves," he said after meeting with four African leaders in
Washington.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Shabab rebels have denied there is a famine in Somalia,
saying the crisis is being exploited by external enemies.
Shabab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage has claimed that local Muslims are
adequately addressing the drought crisis, saying in a speech on rebel radio
that there is no need for assistance from "an outside enemy or
non-Muslims."
He said the hundreds of thousands of refugees who have been streaming across
the Somali border into the mainly Christian countries of Ethiopia and Kenya
in search for food were being lured there "so that their faith can be
destroyed."
Battered by a relentless civil war since 1991, the plight of Somalis has often
been referred to as the world's worst humanitarian crisis. Nearly half of
Somalia's estimated 10 million people are believed to be in need of aid.
The UN on Friday said it was looking for $2.48 billion for 12.4 million
affected people. The UN children's agency UNICEF has said 1.25 million
children are in urgent need of life-saving support in southern Somalia.
The UN says tens of thousands of people have already died due to the drought.
