Vatican CITY – Pope Francis, on February 8, urged global governments to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic with a focus on creating a fairer market economy, facing the growing dangers of climate change and providing basic health care to its citizens.
In an annual foreign policy address to the 183 ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, the pontiff said that the pandemic shed light on five interconnected crises facing the world and “placed before us a choice: to continue on the path we have followed so far, or to start a new path. “
Among the elements that Francis said would mark this new path:
- “Universal access to basic health care”.
- “Equitable distribution” of vaccines against coronavirus.
- An “effective deal” at the next UN Climate Change Conference, to be held in Glasgow in November, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- A rethinking of the “relationship between individuals and the economy”.
On the latter point, the pope compared the need for changes in the global market system as similar to the 17th century understanding that the Earth revolved around the sun, saying that it is time “for a kind of ‘new Copernican revolution’ that can putting the economy at the service of men and women, and not vice versa ”.
Francis has often called in interviews in recent months for world leaders to use the coronavirus pandemic as a way to address persistent economic and social inequalities. His February 8 speech, which lasted about 55 minutes, addressed this and a wide range of other topics.
The speech was given in a larger hall in the Vatican than usual to allow social distance between the approximately 80 ambassadors who attended. Francisco, who was vaccinated against the coronavirus, did not wear a mask, but generally kept his distance from the others present.
The Pope said that the world is facing crises in five areas: health, the environment, economic and social issues, politics and human relations.
Francisco said that the crisis in politics is “much deeper” than the other crises, and said that it resulted in “the increase in political conflicts and the difficulty, if not the inability to seek common and shared solutions to the problems that afflict our world. . “
“This has been a growing trend, which is also increasingly widespread in countries with a long tradition of democracy,” he said.
In what seemed like a possible veiled reference to the United States, the pontiff added: “The development of a democratic conscience requires that the emphasis on individual personalities be overcome and that respect for the rule of law prevails”.
The pope directly addressed the recent military coup in Myanmar, a country he visited in 2017, calling on the country’s imprisoned political leaders to be “promptly released”.
Among other areas of concern, Francisco mentioned conflicts in the Central African Republic, Libya, between Israelis and Palestinians, and the recent political instability in Lebanon, caused by the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut in August 2020.
The pope also made special reference to the ongoing civil war in Syria, which killed hundreds of thousands and turned millions into refugees. “How I wish 2021 is the year in which the conflict in Syria, which started 10 years ago, can finally end!” Francis said.
The pope was scheduled to speak to the diplomatic corps on January 25, but had to postpone the event due to an outbreak of sciatica, a nervous condition that can cause severe low back pain.
Francis did not look any worse for the wear and tear of February 8, able to stay upright throughout his long speech. He also stood for almost an hour more, greeting each of the ambassadors present, one by one.
The pope did not shake hands with each diplomat individually, but spoke to each of them from a few meters away. About half removed the masks when greeting the pope.