ROME – The Community of Sant’Edigio gave a telling reminder on Friday of the “forgotten epidemic” plaguing Africa, a day before further awareness of the disease is raised on World AIDS Day.

 Statistics released by the organisation indicate that HIV, the agent responsible for AIDS, kills up to 380,000 people each year in South-East Africa, while at least 2,000 contract the disease each day in this area alone. Despite the continued work by a huge number of charities to combat the spread of the disease, it is still rife in so many communities.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis entertained the possibility of selling disused, empty Italian churches to raise money for the poor in his address at the Episcopalian Conference, Il Messaggero reports on Friday.

 “In the past few years, many churches have become redundant, due to the lack of believers or clergy, or a changing distribution of the population in cities and rural areas,” the pontiff said in his address. “This must be welcomed in the Church, not with anxiety, but as a sign of the times,” he emphasised.

 ROME – The ambassadors of Armenia and Lebanon to Italy joined respected Lebanese correspondent Talal Khrais and dozens of colleagues at a reception this week marking 30 years of distinguished reporting from his base at the Foreign Press Association in the Eternal City.

 In his three decades as a Rome-based scribe, Mr Khrais has become a point of reference for expertise on the constellation of complex relations between Italy and the Middle East.

ROME – Inter Milan struggled against a revived Tottenham side in London in the Champions League, while Napoli’s win at home to Red Star brought them one step closer to the last 16 of the European competition.