VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis denounced racism on Sunday, comparing it to a virus that hides waiting and just to emerge and show that “our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive” as people think .
Francis tweeted about racism on the date the United Nations marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
The pope compared racism to a “virus that changes rapidly and, instead of disappearing, hides and lurks waiting”.
“The cases of racism continue to embarrass us, as they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think,” tweeted Francis, adding the hashtags #FightRacism #FratelliTutti. “Fratelli Tutti ” is the title of the encyclical, or special teaching document, that the pope published last year in the midst of the pandemic COVID-19 to push for solidarity, fraternity and care for the environment around the world.
In his tweet, Francis did not cite any particular case of racism or place. Throughout his papacy, he defended the rights of marginalized people in societies, including migrants.
The annual UN celebration on March 21 falls on the anniversary of the day when police in Sharpeville, South Africa, opened fire and killed 69 people in a peaceful demonstration against apartheid laws in 1960.