Pope Francis, who discreetly celebrated his 84th birthday on Thursday, made a new appeal to nations to guarantee access to the coronavirus vaccine "to the poorest."
"I renew my appeal to political leaders and the private sector to adopt appropriate measures to ensure access to vaccines against Covid-19 and the indispensable technologies needed to assist the sick and all those who are poorer and more fragile," he wrote in a Peace Day speech unveiled on Thursday.
Pope Francis, who this year has chosen to defend the "culture of care" for others, deplored "various forms of nationalism, racism, xenophobia, as well as wars and conflicts that sow death and destruction" as they "unfortunately take on a new momentum."
For him, "respect for humanitarian law must be remembered, especially at a time when conflicts and wars follow one another without interruption."
"Unfortunately, many regions and communities no longer remember the time when they lived in peace and security" and "famine is taking root where it was once unknown," he noted.
Pope Francis also proposes to put the money for all military spending into "a World Fund to eliminate hunger once and for all, and contribute to the development of the poorest countries."
On his birthday, "celebrated in all simplicity" according to his spokesperson, Pope Francis sent "four pulmonary respirators to Venezuela."
The Brussels Times
