VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Sunday condemned people who traveled abroad on vacation to escape coronavirus blockades, saying they needed to show greater awareness of others’ suffering.
Speaking after his weekly noon blessing, Francis said he read newspaper reports about people taking flights to escape government sidewalks and seek entertainment elsewhere.
“They didn’t think about those who were staying at home, about the economic problems of many people who were hit hard by the blockade, about the sick. (They thought) just to go on vacation and have fun, ”the pope said.
“It really saddened me,” he said in a video speech from the Vatican Apostolic Palace library.
The traditional blessing of the Angelus is usually given from a window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, but has been moved inward to prevent any crowd from gathering and to limit the spread of COVID-19.
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“We don’t know what 2021 has in store for us, but what we can all do together is to try a little harder to take care of each other. There is a temptation to take care only of our own interests,” he said. he added.
Many countries have imposed strict restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which has killed more than 84 million people worldwide, according to the latest Reuters count.
(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)