Seychelles president, nuncio discuss sea level rise, drug addiction

March 23, 2023

Archbishop Tomasz Grysa, the new apostolic nuncio to the Seychelles, presented his credentials recently to President Wavel Ramkalawan, who assumed office in 2020.

The Indian Ocean nation of 97,000 (map) is 95% Christian (83% Catholic). L’Osservatore Romano reported on the February 28 meeting in its March 22 edition.

According to the report, President Ramkalawan thanked the nuncio for the Church’s charitable works and expressed concern about “the disastrous consequences that the phenomenon of sea level rise could bring to the archipelago. The apostolic nuncio said “that the Pope has the issue at heart and that the Holy See is closely following the related debate at the United Nations.”

President Ramkalawan also expressed “fears about the widespread use of drugs in the country”; the Seychelles News Agency reported that 10% of the nation’s residents are addicted to drugs.

Archbishop Grysa said in response that the Church will “cooperate in this field with its experience and expertise, as it is very much involved in working with the people addicted and also in reacting in a structural way to fight drug trafficking,” according to the agency.

“This is something that is very much at the heart of the Church’s mission, because the future of the nation is at stake, because if young people continue to abuse drugs, there will be no future for the country,” the prelate added.

 

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Further information:

• Inizio della missione del nunzio apostolico nelle Seychelles (L’Osservatore Romano)
• Catholic Church to help Seychelles with social issues, says new Vatican diplomat (Seychelles News Agency)