English cardinal calls for legislation tackling 'extremism'
- Feb 24, 2021
For believers, the ability to practice their faith and receive spiritual guidance are “the highest of essential services,” and pandemic practices over the past year have shown they are not automatically super-spreader events, the Vatican foreign minister said.
The Vatican threw its support behind an effort by India, South Africa and a host of developing nations to loosen international patent protections and speed up sub-licensing agreements for the production of COVID-19 vaccines, pharmaceuticals and personal protective equipment.
Peace is the “fruit of love, which go beyond that which justice can bring,” according to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was speaking in Cameroon a day after visiting the country’s troubled Anglophone regions.
A Holy See-supported treaty banning the possession of nuclear weapons that is coming into force is buoying efforts by nations and nonprofit and church organizations working to abolish such armaments.
The crisis facing many countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic requires a united global response that shuns nationalistic interests and creates long-lasting solutions, said Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations.
The last governor of Hong Kong criticized the Vatican’s agreement with China on the appointment of bishops and said Pope Francis has been “exceptionally badly advised” in concluding the pact.