Pope Leo XIV has called on the international community to help contain a devastating Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that health officials say has killed more than 2,500 people and is spreading rapidly across the country. The pontiff urged that the response involve local communities in prevention efforts to save lives, calling the epidemic one that is "causing many victims."
The outbreak, Congo's 17th Ebola epidemic, surpassed the country's previous record outbreak in late July in terms of confirmed cases, according to United Nations officials. It is now the worst in the nation's history, having already claimed thousands of lives.
Leo XIV also expressed solidarity with the Central African Republic following a deadly mine collapse near the Cameroon border, and noted that Monday marks the 10th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that struck central Italy, killing roughly 300 people and destroying the town of Amatrice.