The Pope proposed this Sunday, in his Easter message, “to reduce” or even “cancel” the debt of poor countries, and called for a reduction in international sanctions and for Europe's solidarity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a world "oppressed by the pandemic, which is straining our great human family", he called to respond with "the contagion of hope", in this message delivered in an empty St. Peter's basilica.
He hoped "that the international sanctions which prevent the countries which are the object of it from providing adequate support to their citizens be released" and called for international solidarity "by reducing, if not squarely by canceling, the debt which weighs on the budgets of the poorest countries ”.
Migration crisis, arms trafficking, terrorism…
The United States, for example, refuses to lift the economic sanctions imposed on Iran, a country hit hard by the pandemic. François also repeated his call for "a global and immediate cease-fire in all regions of the world".
"This is not the time to continue manufacturing and trafficking weapons, spending huge capital that should be used to heal people and save lives," he said in the message from the spiritual leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, broadcast live worldwide.
The pope notably mentioned Yemen and Syria, but also Iraq, Lebanon, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, eastern Ukraine, "the terrorist attacks perpetrated against so many innocent people" in Africa, the drama of migrants and the humanitarian situation in northern Mozambique. He also hoped that "concrete and immediate solutions" will be found in Venezuela, "to grant international aid to the population".
Call for a spirit of "solidarity" in Europe
He chose to launch a specific appeal to Europe which must find "a concrete spirit of solidarity which has enabled it to overcome the rivalries of the past", especially after the Second World War. Faced with the global pandemic that is hitting countries like Italy, Spain and France hard, we must have recourse to "innovative solutions" and forget "selfishness".
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Even if it agreed on a fund of 500 billion euros, the European Union appeared divided on the response to the economic consequences of the pandemic. The southern countries, behind Italy and Spain, wish to set up a debt pooling system that the north refuses, notably Germany and the Netherlands. "Let these weaker brothers and sisters, who populate the cities and the peripheries of all the parts of the world, not be left alone", exhorted the sovereign pontiff.
He had a special thought for "the elderly and the lonely", "the doctors and nurses", "the police and the military", all those "who work in nursing homes", or who "live in barracks and prisons".
"For many, it is an Easter of solitude, lived in mourning and the many difficulties that the pandemic causes, from physical suffering to economic problems," he said.
