Pope Leo XIV speaks during an address at the Vatican. Photo Credit: France 24

NNA News  - Pope Leo XIV called on Sunday for international assistance for those affected by the Ebola outbreak in the DRC, during the Angelus prayer at the Vatican. The appeal came after the United Nations warned that the epidemic is spreading rapidly and that funding could run out within weeks. “In my prayers, I often remember the Democratic Republic of the Congo, particularly because of the spread of the Ebola epidemic, which is unfortunately claiming many lives,” he added.

The Pope continued by calling for a coordinated response in which the affected communities are actively involved. “I encourage a response from the international community that also involves local communities in prevention efforts to save many human lives,” he said. The United Nations' senior Ebola official, Julien Harneis, issued a separate appeal on Friday for immediate support for Ebola patients. Speaking at a media briefing in Bunia, Ituri Province, the epicentre of the outbreak, he outlined the scale of the crisis.

According to data released by Harneis, 5,290 people have been infected, and 2,516 have died since May 15. Of those, 1,152 have recovered. Nearly 840 remain in isolation or in hospital. The fatality rate is 47.6 percent. This data led Harneis to warn that the outbreak is surpassing all containment efforts. "The epidemic is spreading to an area bigger than France, and the outbreak is growing faster and wider than the Ebola response," he stressed.

Health workers in protective clothing stand outside an Ebola treatment facility. Photo Credit: Vatican News

Following the briefing, the Pope stressed that the speed of deaths was accelerating. The last 20 days have accounted for half of all fatalities, raising fears of a funding shortfall. "We are only covered for the next few weeks, and very soon funding will run out," Harneis said. "Every delay in funding and implementation makes this epidemic more deadly, more difficult to stop and more expensive. So we need that international support immediately."

Three months into the outbreak, approximately 160 health workers have contracted Ebola and 43 have died, according to the UN. Additionally, Harneis described the difficult conditions health workers are experiencing on the ground. This includes incidents where unknown attackers have targeted health workers, burnt and stoned ambulances, and assaulted clinics. "Conditions on the ground are extremely difficult, but we will continue to deploy all the humanitarian and medical assistance needed until the job is done."

He added that access remains a major obstacle. "Last week, I was trying to get into an Ebola hotspot, and it took three hours to drive 60 kilometres," he said. The virus is spreading across six eastern provinces: Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele, Tshopo and Bas-Uele. Decades of violence have weakened basic services there. The UN said a barely functioning banking system has made it difficult to pay frontline workers.

Agencies including the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme, UNICEF, IOM and Médecins Sans Frontières are working alongside the DRC authorities. This comes as fears grow over complications in containing the outbreak. “It’s a disease; it’s an invisible threat that comes into your community. Suddenly people start falling sick around you, and your loved ones die," he explained. 

Health workers wearing protective equipment walk outside an Ebola treatment facility. Photo Credit: Vatican News

The outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no approved treatment or vaccine. The United States has donated $80 million to boost bed capacity and support safe burials; however, the UN warned that aid cuts in the past two years have reduced humanitarian capacity by more than 30 percent.

In a separate appeal, Pope Leo XIV prayed for victims of a mining accident in the Central African Republic, where a landslide struck an open-pit gold mine in Zamboye on Aug. 18, killing more than 100 people. “I am also close to the people of the Central African Republic, who are mourning the victims of the collapse that occurred at a mine in Zamboyé,” the Pope said. “May the Lord receive those who lost their lives and sustain efforts to ensure safety and legality at mining sites.”