Pope urged to donate corneas, set an example to help the blind

One in five blind people can have their eyesight restored through cornea transplantation.

New Delhi:  A Catholic priest spearheading a corneas donation campaign in India has urged Pope Francis to pledge his corneas so to inspire others to help the blind.

Claretion Father George Kannanthanam's appeal — which asked the pope to pledge his corneas to mark World Sight Day on Oct. 13 — was given to Archbishop Salvatore Pennacchio on Aug. 10. Archbishop Pennacchio is Apostolic Nuncio to India and Nepal until October after which he will begin his new appointment as nuncio to Poland.

"Your one act will inspire millions of people around to the world to emulate," said Father Kannanthanam's appeal to the pope.

"Sight will be the best gift you could give to the world in the Year of Mercy," said the appeal.

Father Kannanthanam told ucanews.com that Pope Francis "is the most respected and accepted leader in the world. What he does and says makes an impact and is of great importance to people."

There are some 39 million blind people worldwide with more than 15 million of them in India, say media reports. It is estimated that in 20 percent of these cases vision can be restored through cornea transplantation, the priest said.

Father Kannanthanam said he urges the pope's representative in India to take up the cause with various church bodies in India, including the Catholic Bishops' Conference of India, Catholic Religious of India and Catholic Health Association of India.

According to Father Kannanthanam India needs around 140,000 cornea transplants every year but currently only 30,000-40,000 corneas are collected.

Father Kannanthanam founded Project Vision a year ago to create awareness about cornea donation.

Source: UCAN