The Pope emphasized the need to help those most at risk – the sick, migrants, the needy and those living in war zones.
“The pandemic is still spreading, but the social and economic crises are still severe, especially for the poor,” Francis said in his Easter message “Urbi et orbi” (“To the City and the World”), which he read at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. The message was broadcast live.
Usually, the Pope reads this message while standing on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, and it is heard by thousands of believers in the square next to the basilica. But just like last year, this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the pope read the message in the basilica, where only about a hundred people listened to it in person.
“Vaccines are a vital tool in this fight,” Francis said, urging the international community to deal with delays in the supply of vaccines, “especially to the poorest countries.”
The pope also called for an end to the violence in Syria, Yemen, Africa and elsewhere, and said he felt close to Myanmar’s youth “committed to democracy”.
The head of the Roman Catholic Church also encouraged dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians.
