Pope Francis on Monday addressed members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See for the annual exchange of New Year greetings. In the state-of-the-world address, he reviewed the multiple crises affecting various parts of world, including those caused by the pandemic, and said that fraternity and hope can help overcome them.
By Robin Gomes

In his traditional encounter with the ambassadors to the Holy See, Pope Francis reflected on the numerous crises unleashed by the pandemic, and on other problems affecting the world, stressing that the fraternity is the true cure for them.

Pope Francis met the ambassadors in the Hall of Benediction in St. Peter’s Basilica, maintaining health protocols. The traditional meeting, originally scheduled for January 25, had to be postponed because of the Pope’s sciatica pain.
Despite the social distancing demanded by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Holy Father noted, their meeting “is meant to be a sign of hope . . . closeness and mutual support to which the family of nations should aspire”. And in this spirit, he said, he was making his upcoming visit to Iraq in March.

The Holy Father then reviewed some of the crises provoked or laid bare by the pandemic and examined the opportunities they offer to build a more humane, just, supportive and peaceful world.

Health crisis
The pandemic, the Pope said, has brought humanity face-to-face with two unavoidable dimensions of human existence: sickness and death. They remind us of the value of every individual human life and its dignity, from conception in the womb until its natural end. He lamented that a growing number of legal systems seem to be moving away from their inalienable duty to protect human life at every one of its phases.

The pandemic has reminded us of the right of each human being to dignified care, and that “each human person is an end in himself or herself, and never simply a means to be valued only for his or her usefulness”. “If we deprive the weakest among us of the right to life,” he asked, “how can we effectively guarantee respect for every other right?” He urged political and government leaders to work above all to ensure universal access to basic healthcare, medicines and treatment, pointing out that “concern for profit should not be guiding a field as sensitive as that of healthcare”. He called for an equitable distribution of the vaccines, based not on purely economic criteria but on the needs of all, especially of peoples most in need. In this regard, he urged that access to vaccines must be accompanied by responsible personal behaviour aimed at halting the spread of the virus, employing the necessary measures of prevention.

Environmental crisis
The pandemic, the Pope continued, has also demonstrated once again that the earth itself is fragile and in need of care. The ecological crisis caused by the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources, he pointed out, is much more complex and enduring, and requires shared long-term solutions. The impact of climate change, such as extreme weather events of flooding and drought, and malnutrition or respiratory disease, entail consequences that persist for a considerable time.

While stressing the need for international cooperation to overcome these crises of our common home, Pope Francis hopes that the November United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), will effectively address the consequences of climate change.

In this regard, he recalled the repercussions of climate change on several regions of the world. Numerous small islands in the Pacific Ocean are in danger of gradually disappearing; while floods in Southeast Asia, especially in Vietnam and the Philippines, have caused many deaths and destroyed livelihoods; and increased temperatures have caused devastating fires in Australia and California.

In Africa, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger faced acute food insecurity last year with millions suffering from hunger. In South Sudan, where there is a risk of famine with over one million undrenourished children, the Pope urged the country’s authorities to overcome misunderstandings and pursue political dialogue for the sake of full national reconciliation.

Economic and social crises
The restrictions on freedom of movement imposed by governments to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Pope said, have especially harmed medium-sized and small businesses, adversely affecting employment and consequently the life of families and entire sectors of society, especially those that are most fragile. This economic crisis, he noted, has highlighted another illness of our time: that of an economy based on the exploitation and waste of both people and natural resources. What is needed is an economy that is “at the service of men and women, not vice versa”, an economy that “brings life, not death, one that is inclusive and not exclusive, humane and not dehumanizing, one that cares for the environment and does not despoil it”.

Victims of isolation and closed borders
The pandemic, the Pope continued, has particularly hit those in the informal job sector, with many of them exposed to exploitation through illegal or forced labour, prostitution and various criminal activities, including human trafficking. Economic stability, the Pope said, must be ensured for all, so as to avoid the scourge of exploitation and to combat usury, corruption and other injustices. With longer hours before computers and other media due to the isolation, the poor and unemployed are rendered more vulnerable to cybercrime, including fraud, trafficking in persons, prostitution and child pornography.

Pope Francis also noted that the closing of borders due to the pandemic, combined with the economic crisis, have also aggravated a number of humanitarian emergencies, such as those in Sudan, sub-Saharan Africa, Mozambique, Yemen and Syria. With regard to economic sanctions on countries, he said, they affect mainly the more vulnerable segments of the population rather than political leaders. He hoped that they will be relaxed with an improved flow of humanitarian aid.

He hoped, too, that the current crisis be an occasion for forgiving, or at least reducing, the debt that burdens poorer countries and prevents their recovery and development.

Migrants and refugees
Speaking about the increased number of migrants and their worsening conditions last year because of closed borders, Pope Francis calls for addressing the root causes that force people to migrate and supporting the countries that host them.

The Holy Father also noted the dramatic increase in the number of refugees and called for renewed commitment to protect them, together with internally displaced persons and the many vulnerable people forced to flee from persecution, violence, conflicts and wars. In the central region of the Sahel, he noted, the number of internally displaced persons has increased twentyfold.