In his annual Christmas message, Pope Francis called on world leaders to share the coronavirus vaccine, especially to help ensure vulnerable and needy populations have access to it.
Francis, speaking from inside the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican, argued that widespread suffering should compel people to reflect on their common humanity and support equitable plans to roll out vaccines, according to the New York Times.
Francis said his call for solidarity was aimed especially at “people who are the most fragile, the sick and all who at this period find themselves without work or in grave difficulty due to the economic consequences of the pandemic and to women who have been subjected to domestic violence during these months of confinement.”
The pope also urged people to reject nationalism and “radical individualism” in the consideration of other people during the pandemic.
“We cannot allow the various forms of nationalism closed in on themselves to prevent us from living as the truly human family that we are,” Francis said.
Vaccines have already begun rolling out in several countries, including the United States, to the most vulnerable and high-risk populations.
COVID-19 has infected almost 80 million people worldwide and has been attributed to 1.5 million deaths.
