Pope Francis Makes Urgent Appeal on Behalf of COVID-19 Vaccination

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis says people who get the coronavirus vaccine would be committing “an act of love” towards their fellow men and women. 

The pontiff made the personal appeal in a filmed public service message that was released Wednesday online and on television.   “Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from Covid-19,” Pope Francis said in the message, which he made on behalf of the U.S.-based nonprofit group the Ad Council. He said the vaccines “bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another.”  The pontiff added that getting vaccinated “is a simple yet profound way to care for one another, especially the most vulnerable.”