VATICAN (CWNews.com) -- Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, the head of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, has issued an urgent new request for international aid to the survivors of devastating floods in Mozambique.

    Meeting with journalists in Rome after a visit to the African country, Archbishop Cordes said that thousands of people are in need of food, shelter, and medical supplies after the flooding that followed a cyclone in Mozambique. As head of the Pope's official charity, the archbishop had brought $150,000 in relief from Cor Unum, and stayed to assess the needs of the relief agencies working with the flood victims.

    While in Mozambique, Archbishop Cordes also met with the country's president, Joaquin Chissano and with leaders of the Catholic Church and the relief agencies active in the area. The archbishop remarked that many of the people of Mozambique are suspicious of outsiders-- and especially those who come from South Africa or the United States. Therefore, he said, it is important to provide support for the missionaries who have already been working among the people, and gained their confidence.