Vatican welcomes G8 decision

The Vatican today welcomed the decision of the world’s wealthiest countries to forgive more than £20bn (€30bn) in debt owed by poor nations and called on the rich to follow up by increasing development aid.

The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace also said countries that had their debt cancelled should now use the freed up money to “bring about real and sustainable development opportunities” such as clean water, sanitation, health care and education opportunities.