Sunday, January 03, 2021
“Just want to enjoy your life”
Selfish vacationers make Pope sad
Vacationers who travel to escape the Corona restrictions in their home countries cause consternation among Pope Francis. The pontiff finds clear words.
Pope Francis has called for people not to think about their next vacation trip first in the Corona crisis. Instead, people should use the year 2021 to do more for the weakest in society. This is what the head of the Catholic Church said after his midday prayer. For reasons of corona protection, the 84-year-old Pope did not say the Angelus prayer in front of pilgrims, but in the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
He had read media reports from a country that he no longer knew from which country, because people had “flown out with more than 40 planes to escape the lockdown and have a nice vacation,” he said. “But these people, who are good people, haven’t thought of those who stayed at home, of the economic problems of so many people who were thrown by the lockdown, of the sick? They just take vacation and just want to enjoy their lives.” That made him very sad. You don’t know what will bring in 2021, said the Pope. “But we can all try a little more to take care of each other.”
Shortly before Christmas, the infection of two cardinals with the coronavirus raised concerns about the Pope’s health. Francis is considered a risk patient due to his old age and previous lung surgery, but he is rarely seen with a mouth and nose covering. The Vatican has not yet announced whether and when the Pope will undergo a corona vaccination.
At the end of December, the Vatican published plans and proposals for the global course of the corona vaccination campaigns in a 20-point paper. The document also listed six guidelines for the Covid-19 commission founded by Pope Francis. The church will then use its voice to ensure the “quality of vaccines and treatments” worldwide, especially for the vulnerable.