KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 27 2015 – Pope Francis has declared Missionaries of the Poor a religious institute of pontifical right.
The status is the first ever awarded to a religious group in the Caribbean
Archbishop of Kingston, the Most Rev Charles Dufour explained that the elevation means that the scope of the Father Richard HoLung-founded organisation is now universal.
The mass of thanksgiving is being attended by Catholic Church leaders from across the Caribbean and India.
Missionaries for the Poor was established in Jamaica in 1981 by Father Richard Ho Lung and Kingston remains home to the international headquarters today.
