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Bono and Geldof Praise Aid Priest
Irish rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof have paid tribute to an Irish priest who spent four decades working with the poor of Africa
Fr Jack Finucane took part in 18 major emergencies, including the the 1984 famine in Ethiopia.
U2 frontman Bono recalled visiting feeding camps in Ethiopia. "Right in amongst them was the John Wayne of this business, Jack Finucane. I'd never met anyone like him and still haven't," he said.
On a special tribute program on RTE radio, Father Finucane said he did not know who Bono was when the request came in for a meeting. "Afterwards, I made it up to Bono because I went to his concert in Slane. I think I was the oldest person there," he said.
Former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who organised the Live Aid concert for Ethiopia, said Finucane and the other Irish priests working in the country were 'giants'.
"They were very focused, very clear. They were immensely strong moral characters, it informed everything they did."
Some of the 160 million euro (£110m) raised by Live Aid was sent to Concern Worldwide, who Fr Finucane worked with in Ethopia. He used it to help families who had been forcefully resettled by the Government from the North to the West of the country.
"I went 26 resettlement sites in Ethiopia when we went back last May. The people we had supported through Band Aid and Live Aid were now actually self-sufficient," said Fr Finucane.
He added that people had their own animals, fruit trees and grain crops. "It was wonderful. I was so pleased at what I found," he said.
Fr Finucane is now working as Concern Worldwide's director in Sudan, where tens of thousands have died and two million have been forced out of their homes in the last two years. He said there were two main scourges of Africa - the proliferation of AIDS and arms. "We can't turn our back on Africa. Africa has to have a future. It's going to take time and we must stay with them."
--Press Association
Irish rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof have paid tribute to an Irish priest who spent four decades working with the poor of Africa
Fr Jack Finucane took part in 18 major emergencies, including the the 1984 famine in Ethiopia.
U2 frontman Bono recalled visiting feeding camps in Ethiopia. "Right in amongst them was the John Wayne of this business, Jack Finucane. I'd never met anyone like him and still haven't," he said.
On a special tribute program on RTE radio, Father Finucane said he did not know who Bono was when the request came in for a meeting. "Afterwards, I made it up to Bono because I went to his concert in Slane. I think I was the oldest person there," he said.
Former Boomtown Rats singer Bob Geldof, who organised the Live Aid concert for Ethiopia, said Finucane and the other Irish priests working in the country were 'giants'.
"They were very focused, very clear. They were immensely strong moral characters, it informed everything they did."
Some of the 160 million euro (£110m) raised by Live Aid was sent to Concern Worldwide, who Fr Finucane worked with in Ethopia. He used it to help families who had been forcefully resettled by the Government from the North to the West of the country.
"I went 26 resettlement sites in Ethiopia when we went back last May. The people we had supported through Band Aid and Live Aid were now actually self-sufficient," said Fr Finucane.
He added that people had their own animals, fruit trees and grain crops. "It was wonderful. I was so pleased at what I found," he said.
Fr Finucane is now working as Concern Worldwide's director in Sudan, where tens of thousands have died and two million have been forced out of their homes in the last two years. He said there were two main scourges of Africa - the proliferation of AIDS and arms. "We can't turn our back on Africa. Africa has to have a future. It's going to take time and we must stay with them."
--Press Association
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