Pope Francis has called for the debt burden on poorer nations to be forgiven, as he used his Easter message to ask that the world eliminate selfishness and indifference in the fight against Covid-19.
On Easter Sunday morning in St Peter’s Basilica, Francis delivered his traditional Easter message before offering the traditional blessing “Urbi et Orbi” to the city of Rome and to the world.
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, instead of delivering it from the balcony of the basilica to a crowd of tens of thousands, the 83-year-old Pope’s blessing was live-streamed to the world from inside St Peter's.
“In light of the present circumstances, may international sanctions be relaxed, since these make it difficult for countries on which they have been imposed to provide adequate support to their citizens,” Francis said.
“May all nations be put in a position to meet the greatest needs of the moment through the reduction, if not the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the balance sheets of the poorest nations.”
Covid-19 has affected more than 200 countries, with almost two million cases and over 100,000 deaths. Lockdowns imposed by countries to stop the spread of the disease are damaging economies, with poorer nations, already saddled by debt, likely to be the worst affected.
The Pope’s remarks on debt come after Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Vatican’s Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, suggested a new pandemic “jubilee”.
In Europe, wealthier nations are under pressure to do more to assist the less well-off and the Pope today warned European Union is facing an “epochal challenge” which will define “not only its future but that of the whole world”.
Francis said: “let us not lose the opportunity to give further proof of solidarity, also by turning to innovative solutions. The only alternative is the selfishness of particular interests and the temptation of a return to the past, at the risk of severely damaging the peaceful coexistence and development of future generations”.
Covid-19, the Pope explained, was not a moment for countries to become divided against themselves, but instead to pull together and end all wars.
“This is not a time for division. May Christ our peace enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world,” he said.
“This is not a time for continuing to manufacture and deal in arms, spending vast amounts of money that ought to be used to care for others and save lives”.
Away from the Coronavirus, the Pope called on the world not to forget the other humanitarian crises in Asia and Africa, particularly in the Province of Cabo Delgado in the north of Mozambique, where Islamist terrorist groups have attacked villages.
The Pope also recalled “the many refugees displaced because of wars, drought and famine” particularly those living in “unbearable conditions” in Libya, Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ, Francis stressed, offers the “contagion” of hope which is transmitted from heart to heart.
“This is no magic formula that makes problems vanish. No, the resurrection of Christ is not that. Instead, it is the victory of love over the root of evil, a victory that does not “by-pass” suffering and death, but passes through them, opening a path in the abyss, transforming evil into good: this is the unique hallmark of the power of God,” the Pope explained.
Francis concluded: “Indifference, self-centredness, division and forgetfulness are not words we want to hear at this time. We want to ban these words for ever.
“May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end.”
Read more: “How the Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a new emphasis on mercy”
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