Pope Francis Calls for Access to Care and Vaccines for All
Voice of America
ROME - Pope Francis celebrated a second Easter as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of easing in Italy and has again forced a nationwide lockdown. The pope urged access to care and to vaccines for everyone, especially in low-income countries. He also decried “too many wars” that are still raging in the world.
Pope Francis celebrated Easter mass with around 200 people in Saint Peter’s Basilica and then delivered his traditional “Urbi et Orbi” message and blessing on the most important day in the Christian liturgical calendar which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. The pope offers such messages which means "to the city [of Rome] and to the world," during Easter and Christmas. In his message, the pope said, there are still too many wars and too much violence in the world today. He prayed that God may help people overcome the mindset of war. The Easter message, the pope said, does not offer a mirage or reveal a magic formula. It does not point to an escape from the difficult situation the world is experiencing, he said. The pope added that the pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for people who are economically marginalized. Nonetheless, he said, it is unfortunate that military spending and armed conflict continue during the pandemic. The pope said: “This is the scandal of today.”A TV screen shows a file image of North Korea's rocket launch during a news program at a bus terminal in Seoul, South Korea, May 27, 2024. FILE - Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi speaks to reporters in Colombo, July 29, 2023. FILE - A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's spy satellite into orbit with its third launch attempt this year with an image of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Nov. 22, 2023.
Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. Fire rages following an Israeli strike on an area designated for displaced Palestinians, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, in this still picture taken from a video, May 26, 2024. Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a camp for internally displaced people in Rafah on May 27, 2024. A member of the bomb squad of the Israeli police collects debris after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants struck in the Israeli city of Herzliya on May 26, 2024.