Rabat – During his Easter speech at the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City yesterday, April 12, Pope Francis called for global solidarity against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The pope dedicated his first thoughts to those who are directly affected by the COVID-19, including doctors, nurses, the sick, the deceased, and their grieving families.
He went on to highlight the rising fears regarding the lack of economic activity, calling upon politicians to “work actively for the common good, to provide the means and resources needed to enable everyone to lead a dignified life and, when circumstances allow, to assist them in resuming their normal daily activities.”
Pope Francis also suggested, “the reduction, if not the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest nations” where resources are most needed, as many developing countries are struggling to cope with the pandemic.
As the COVID-19 crisis storms the globe, the pope delivered his message to “a world already faced with epochal challenges and now oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family.”
“This is not the time for indifference […] not the time for self-centeredness […] not the time for division,” said the pope. He called for unity and the relaxation of international sanctions, recalling how European states overcame rivalries during the Second World War “thanks to a concrete spirit of solidarity.”
The pope usually delivers his Easter speech before 70,000 pilgrims, but St. Peter’s Square was bereft of its usual crowd as worshippers adhere to social distancing measures.
“This is an Easter of solitude lived amid the sorrow and hardship that the pandemic is causing, from physical suffering to economic difficulties,” the pope said.
Pope Francis went on to pay tribute to women doctors, nurses, members of security forces, and other women workers, as well as women who are confined at home with their families. The religious leader acknowledged that women around the world are at risk of violence during the period of confinement, which places an additional burden on their shoulders.
“Let us not lose the opportunity to give further proof of solidarity, also by turning to innovative solutions,” the pope said.
“The only alternative is the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations.”
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