VATICAN CITY, Oct 25: Pope John Paul II on Thursday appealed to the world for aid for thousands of Afghan refugees fleeing US-led military strikes, and sent an envoy to visit refugee camps in Pakistan.

“The sufferings of countless men, women and children cry out for practical relief,” the pope said in a message to Pakistan’s Roman Catholic bishops.

“In particular, the painful situation of the many refuges call for immediate efforts on the part of all those who are in a position to help,” he said.

The pope’s message coincided with the departure from the Vatican of Pakistan-bound German Archbishop Josef Cordes, who heads a pontifical council coordinating the Church’s global aid activities.

Archbishop Cordes, who left Rome on Thursday for Islamabad, would meet President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday, as well as the minister for religious minorities and aid agency officials.

He was also to visit a refugee camp in Peshawar.—AFP