Pope Francis Signs A Document © Vatican Media
Letter to the Pan-American Committee of Judges: Pope Francis Warns against ‘Virosic Genocide’ And the Social Consequences of the Pandemic
In face of the global epidemic and governments’ reactions, Pope Francis points out that, although we all know that to defend the people implies an “economic misfortune,” “it would be sad if one opted for the contrary, which would lead very many people to death, something like a virosic genocide.”
In a letter dated Saturday, March 28, 2020, to the President of the Pan-American Committee of Men and Women Judges for Social Rights, the Holy Father drew important definitions for the present and the future in the framework of the current COVID-19 pandemic.
In the letter, Pope Francis alerts about governments that don’t adopt measures to defend the population and he reflects on the social consequences that must be addressed.
People Are the Priority
In the first place, the Pope explains how he has been edified “by the reaction of many people, doctors, men and women nurses, volunteers, Religious, and priests who risk their life to cure and to defend healthy people from infection, “ and he highlights that some governments “have taken exemplary measures with well-defined priorities to defend the population,” prioritizing “the people” in their decisions.
The Pontiff adds that it’s true that these measures “bother” those that feel “obliged to comply with them, but it’s always for the common good and, in the long run, the majority of people accept them and have a positive attitude.”
We Must Prepare Ourselves for Afterward
The Holy Father then refers to the meeting, held last Friday, of the Dicastery for Integral Human Development “on the now and on the afterward.”
He stresses that it’s important to prepare ourselves for afterward, as “some consequences are already noted that must be addressed: hunger, especially for those without fixed work (odd jobs, etc.), violence, the advent of usurers (who are the real “plague” of the social future, dehumanized offenders), etc.”
In regard to the economic future, the Bishop of Rome says that the view of economist Mariana Mazzucato is interesting. She is a “docent at University College London (“The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy,” The Hague, 2018). I believe it helps to think of the future,” he concludes.
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/letter-to-the-pan-american-committee-of-judges-pope-warns-against-virosic-genocide/
Coronavirus – US Center For Disease Control And Prevention
Pontifical Academy for Life Issues Note on Pandemic
‘Pandemic and Universal Brotherhood’
The Pontifical Academy for Life has issued a Note on the Covid-19 emergency entitled “Pandemic and Universal Brotherhood”. The document calls for “an alliance between science and humanism” that should guide our response to the crisis, according to Vatican News.
The current situation has led us to understand “the precariousness that radically characterizes our human condition”. We are not “masters of our own fate”; on the contrary, our lives are interconnected and interrelated. This leads to an awareness “of the reciprocity that is at the basis of our life”.
Noting the concerns that have arisen with regard to personal rights and freedoms, the Academy asserts that rights have corresponding duties. “The coexistence of free and equal persons is an exquisitely ethical question, not a technical one”.
Our social bonds are being put to the test at the present time, says the Academy. It warns that political decisions should not be based solely on scientific data, but must take into account ethical and moral considerations, as well. For instance, health care should be guided by prudential decisions on the best possible use of treatments based on the needs of the patients. If rationing of care becomes absolutely necessary – and it should always be a “last resort” – the criteria for such rationing must not discriminate against the old and weak. It be based instead “on solid arguments, to avoid arbitrariness or improvisation in emergency situations”.
The document insists on “particular attention to those who are most fragile”, especially the elderly and those with special needs. “Every form of solicitude, every expression of benevolence, is a victory of the Resurrected Jesus”, it says. At the same time, we must not forget “the other calamities that affect the most fragile”: refugees, and victims of war and hunger.
Finally, the Academy offers reflections on the importance of intercessory prayer. “Where evangelical closeness meets a physical limit or hostile opposition, intercession – founded in the Crucifix – retains its unstoppable and decisive power, even should people seem not to live up to God’s blessing”, it says. Prayer helps us “to come to terms with the tragic mystery of death, the fear of which is part of all our stories today”.
The shared witness of universal brotherhood, which can be seen even by non-believers, “points toward the best part of the human condition”. The Academy affirms, in conclusion, that, “Humanity that, for the sake of life as an unwaveringly common good, does not abandon the field in which human beings love and toil together, earns the gratitude of all and the respect of God”.
Read the source: https://zenit.org/articles/pontifical-academy-for-life-issues-note-on-pandemic/