VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis urged countries in their Easter message on Sunday to speed up the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, especially to the world’s poor, and called for armed conflict and military spending during a pandemic of “Scandalous”.
The coronavirus means that this is the second year in a row that Easter papal services have small meetings at a secondary altar in St. Peter’s Basilica, rather than crowds in the church or in the square outside.
After celebrating Mass, Francisco read his message “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and the world), in which he traditionally reviews world problems and calls for peace.
“The pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for the poor. However – and this is scandalous – the armed conflicts are not over and the military arsenals are being strengthened, ”he said.
Francis, who would normally have delivered the speech to up to 100,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, spoke to less than 200 at the church while the message was being broadcast to tens of millions around the world.
The square was empty, except for a few policemen who imposed a rigid three-day national blockade.
The Pope asked God to console the sick, those who lost a loved one and the unemployed, urging the authorities to give the most needy families a “decent livelihood”.
He praised medical workers, sympathized with young people who are unable to attend school and said they were all called to fight the pandemic.
“I urge the entire international community, in a spirit of global responsibility, to commit to overcoming delays in the distribution of vaccines and facilitating their distribution, especially in the poorest countries,” he said.
Francisco, who often called for disarmament and a total ban on the possession of nuclear weapons, said: “There are still many wars and much violence in the world! May the Lord, who is our peace, help us to overcome the war mentality ”.
‘INSTRUMENTS OF DEATH’
Noting that it was International Awareness Day against anti-personnel landmines, he called these weapons “horrible and treacherous devices … how much better our world would be without these instruments of death!
In mentioning the areas of conflict, he highlighted to praise “the young people of Myanmar committed to supporting democracy and making their voices heard peacefully”. More than 550 protesters have been killed since the February 1 military coup in Myanmar, which the pope visited in 2017.
Francisco called for peace in several conflict areas in Africa, including the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia and the province of Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. He said the crisis in Yemen was “met with a deafening and scandalous silence”.
He called on Israelis and Palestinians to “rediscover the power of dialogue” to arrive at a two-state solution where both can live side by side in peace and prosperity.
Francis said he realized that many Christians were still being persecuted and called for all restrictions on freedom of worship and religion around the world to be lifted.
Reporting by Philip Pullella; Frances Kerry edition