From Francis to Fauci, Vatican health conference focuses an eclectic mix of voices on COVID

Rome — A Vatican-hosted conference focused on COVID-19 is drawing an almost surreal line-up of virtual guests. The idea behind the gathering is to foster an open dialogue among a large group of people from all disciplines to share insights about health, humanity, and the future of medicine. 

With Pope Francis, Dr. Anthony Fauci, supermodel Cindy Crawford and Aerosmith lead guitarist Joe Perry among the cadre of doctors, scientists, faith leaders, CEOs and philanthropists joining the 3-day virtual conference, a diversity of viewpoints, at least, seemed assured. The Vatican Conference — organized by the Vatican's culture ministry in conjunction with the Cura Foundation — also aims to explore how religion and spirituality contribute to health and well-being, with representatives of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths discussing topics including "Religion and the Pandemic" and "Religious Dietary Practices and Health."