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9,000 Rotarians worldwide attend Vatican’s Jubilee Audience
View(s):Nearly 9,000 Rotary members worldwide attended the Jubilee Audience at the Vatican in St. Peter’s Square on April 30, at the invitation of Pope Francis. Rotary International President K.R. Ravindran who led the Rotarians, said, “It is a tremendous honour to be a part of this Jubilee Audience.”
Rotarians with the Pope
“Pope Francis has inspired men and women throughout the world – regardless of their faith – with his humble acts of kindness. His call to alleviate the root causes of extreme poverty and human suffering transcends religion, age, nationalism and politics. Rotary members from every religion, nation and creed share Pope Francis’ spirit of mercy and compassion, which inspires us to act boldly to address the most difficult challenges facing our world today,” he said.
“By promoting peace, fighting disease, ending polio, providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene, supporting education, saving mothers and children and growing local economies, Rotary members are improving lives and bringing positive, lasting change to communities around the world,” a press release from the Rotary said.
Rotary has donated US$ 1.5 billion and countless volunteer-hours to protect 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from polio. More than 13 million people are able to walk today, who would otherwise have been paralysed with polio.