Vatican City, Holy See:
Pope Francis in his Christmas message on Friday named for “vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and most in need in all regions of the planet” for the coronavirus, which he mentioned had exacerbated current worldwide crises.
The pontiff also touched on the plight of youngsters caught up by war, singling out victims in Syria, Yemen and Iraq in his Christmas message.
Vaccines had been “glimmers of hope in this period of darkness and uncertainty,” Francis mentioned in the annual “Urbi et Orbi” speech “to the city and the world”.
“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 pandemic had come at a “moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances”, the pope added, saying that produced it “all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters”.
And “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,” he mentioned.
Pope Francis will make a historic take a look at to Iraq in March, the Vatican mentioned Monday, the 1st ever by a pontiff and which will incorporate a trip to the city of Mosul, a former jihadist stronghold.
The pope has extended spoken of his wish to take a look at the Middle Eastern nation, exactly where two decades of conflict have taken a heavy toll on Christian communities.
The Argentinian-born pope named for peace and reconciliation in Libya and Iraq, “particularly to the Yazidis, sorely tried by these last years of war.”
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