Pope Urges Countries to Share Covid-19 Vaccines

AFP/VINCENZO PINTO

Pope Francis greets attendees as he arrives at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican to hold a limited public audience on September 2, 2020 during the COVID-19 infection, caused by the novel coronavirus. - Pope Francis is resuming on September 2, 2020 limited public weekly audiences, six months after the head of the Catholic Church halted the practice because of the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Vincenzo PINTO / AFP)

Health is an international problem and must be faced together by all countries. The Covid-19 pandemic makes it increasingly important for humanity to show brotherhood.

VATICAN, FRIDAY— In his Christmas message on Friday, Pope Francis asked all countries to share the Covid-19 vaccine. Vaccine nationalism is considered irrelevant in the midst of a pandemic.

The call was made during his traditional Urbi et Orbi (to the city and the world) message at the Vatican. This time, Pope Francis did not read the 2020 Christmas message in front of thousands of people from the central balcony outside St.Peter\'s Basilica. The Pope, instead, read the Christmas message in the Vatican\'s Hall of the Benedictions in the presence of a few people who kept their distance from each other.

In his message, the Pope also called for global unity and help for countries suffering from conflicts and humanitarian crises. "At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters," he said.

In the face of a challenge that knows no borders, we cannot erect walls.

Pope Francis stressed that health is an international problem. Because of this, the Pope criticized "vaccine nationalism", a term that refers to the phenomenon of various nations competing to meet the needs of the Covid-19 vaccine for their national interests first rather than working together for global fulfillment.

This results in poor countries getting vaccines later. "In the face of a challenge that knows no borders, we cannot erect walls. We are in the same boat,”said the Pope.

AP PHOTO/GREGORIO BORGIA

Paus Fransiskus membelai kepala seorang anak ketika ia tiba di stadion bisbol di Nagasaki, Jepang, untuk memimpin misa, Minggu (24/11/2019). Dalam kesempatan ini, Paus menegaskan kembali penolakannya pada senjata nuklir.

Peace

Another message that Pope Francis stressed was peace and reconciliation. He specifically mentioned Syria, Yemen, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh, South Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon and Iraq.

The Pope also invited the world to help people suffering from humanitarian crises or natural disasters in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, the Philippines and Vietnam. Christmas, according to the Pope, is above all a time to help others. This spirit of sharing at Christmas is in line with Jesus who was born a poor outcast.

Pope Francis also promised to visit Lebanon and South Sudan as soon as possible. He chose the two countries in his Christmas Eve message because of the difficulties Lebanon and South Sudan face this year.” I am deeply troubled to see the suffering and anguish that has sapped the native resilience and resourcefulness of the Land of the Cedars, " the Pope said, using another term for Lebanon.

God\'s participation

In Jakarta, the chairman of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo, said Covid-19 had shaken people.

The Covid-19 outbreak is a disaster. Meanwhile, hatred, lies, and greed are clear signs of a shallow understanding and appreciation of religious life and faith. The sense of nationality, love for the homeland, and the noble character of the nation are also eroded. "In a situation like this, when celebrating Christmas, we are invited to keep trying to find inspiration and strength of faith," said Cardinal Suharyo.

Through this theme, people are invited to celebrate Christmas with a strong faith that in any difficult situation, God is always with them.

To that end, KWI and the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) issued a 2020 Joint Christmas Message with the theme "And They Will Call Him Immanuel". Immanuel means the presence of God. Through this theme, people are invited to celebrate Christmas with a strong faith that in any difficult situation, God is always with them.

Cardinal Suharyo also quoted one of the Eucharistic Prayers regarding the involvement of Allah in the history of the Indonesian nation\'s journey.

"We thank You for the unifying language and Pancasila as the basis for our independence. Throughout the history of our nation, there have always been various challenges, but they can be overcome. A history like this is a very strong basis for all of us to keep moving forward and the belief that in time difficulties will turn out well again, ”said the Cardinal.

AFP/VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Francis delivers a message to the world otherwise known as Urbi et Orbi (For the City and the World) from the balcony of St. Peter\'s Basilica after Easter Sunday Mass at the Vatican. The photo was released by the Vatican press office on Sunday (4/21/2019).

Source of inspiration

During a visit to the Protestant Church in Western Indonesia (GPIB) Immanuel Semarang in Central Java, Thursday night, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas called congregations to make religion a source of inspiration in spreading peace and compassion.

"I visited friends and relatives who were celebrating Christmas and shared happiness with them," he said. He invited the church congregation and all Christians to join hands. "Come on, make religion a source of inspiration for peace and spread love. Come on, leave the assumption that religion is the norm of conflict for different people, "said the Minister of Religion.

The GPIB Immanuel Semarang Council thanked Yaqut who took the time to greet the congregation after the core of the service.

Based on Kompas’ monitoring, Christmas and Christmas Eve services in Indonesia were held peacefully. The security apparatus and the congregation worked together to create a peaceful Christmas celebration. In Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, members of the Mataram branch of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) youth wing, helped maintain security at the Christmas eve mass at the Mataram Catholic church of St Maria Immaculata.

Congregations also strived to comply with health protocols. The head of the GPIB Immanuel Congregation Council in Palembang, South Sumatra, Rev. Agustina Laheba, said that the service was held twice so that people were able to keep their distance with others.

At the Semarang Cathedral, to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the service was attended only by 270 people, less than a third of the church’s capacity of 900 people. In addition, various procedures were carried out before the service, starting from checking the identification cards of mass attendees, washing hands, scanning the barcode to checking body temperature. (AFP/REUTERS/BEN/BRO/DIT/MHD/FRD/ZAK)