‘Vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable’: Pope Francis in Christmas message

Pope Francis called for “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet” in his Christmas message on Friday, reported AFP. He said that coronavirus  had exacerbated existing global crises.

The Pope touched on the plight of children caught up by war, singling out victims in Syria, Yemen and Iraq in his Christmas message.

In the annual “Urbi et Orbi” speech “to the city and the world,” he said that vaccines were “glimmers of hope in this period of darkness and uncertainty.”

Also read: Pope Francis expresses desire to visit crisis-hit Lebanon in Christmas message

He said, “I call on everyone, on leaders of states, on businesses, on international organisations, to promote cooperation and not competition, to find a solution for everyone: vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet.”

The pontiff said that he pandemic had come at a “moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances,” adding that it made “all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters.”

He said, “On this day… let us turn our gaze to the many, all too many, children worldwide, especially in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, who still pay the high price of war.”

He added, “May their faces touch the consciences of all men and women of good will, so that the causes of conflicts can be addressed and courageous efforts can be made to build a future of peace.”

Pope Francis will make a historic visit to Iraq in March, the Vatican said Monday, the first ever by a pontiff and which will include a trip to the city of Mosul, a former jihadist stronghold.

The pope has long spoken of his desire to visit the Middle Eastern country, where two decades of conflict have taken a heavy toll on Christian communities.

The Argentinian-born pope called for peace and reconciliation in Libya and Iraq, “particularly to the Yazidis, sorely tried by these last years of war.”