Pope Francis and Eritrean priest are leading contenders for Nobel Peace Prize

Catholic Herald
October 7, 2015

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2015/10/07/pope-is-a-leading-contender-for-nobel-peace-prize/

Pope Francis is a serious contender for the Nobel Peace Prize Photo by Riccardo De Luca

The winner of the prize will be announced on Friday

Pope Francis is among the front runners for the Nobel Peace Prize which will be announced on Friday morning.

Pope Francis is not the only Catholic among the contenders because an Eritrean priest is also a front runner for the prestigous prize.

Fr Mussie Zerai set up a hotline for refugees from his country making the perilous journey to Europe so that they can call the priest when they face difficuly.

Fr Zerai takes migrants’ calls from satellite phones and then communicates GPS coordinates to Italy’s coast guard and EU naval authorities so that they can launch a rescue.

Pope Francis is a strong contender for the prize due to his environmental credentials after it emerged that he had played a significant role in improving relations between the US and Cuba last December.