The pope asks people to get vaccinated 0:42
(Reuters) -
Pope Francis said on Wednesday that he was puzzled by the refusal of so many people to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including some cardinals in the Catholic Church.
"It's a bit strange because humanity has a history of friendship with vaccines," he said aboard the plane returning from Slovakia, responding to a question from a journalist about the reasons behind the doubts surrounding vaccination.
"As children (we were vaccinated) against measles, polio. All children were vaccinated and no one said anything," he said.
No major established religion opposes vaccination, but religious exemptions can complicate mandates
Pope Francis, who has been vaccinated against covid-19, has often urged others to get vaccinated for the common good.
On the plane, he said that perhaps some people were scared at first because there were several vaccines available and some turned out to be "little more than distilled water."
He did not mention any specifically.
advertising
"Even at the College of Cardinals there are some vaccine deniers," he said.
"But one of them, the poor man, has been hospitalized with the virus. These are the ironies of life."
Francisco did not mention the names of any cardinals.
The pope asks everyone to get vaccinated against covid-19
Cardinal Raymond Burke, a conservative and vaccine skeptic, was hospitalized in the United States last month after contracting the virus.
Pope Francis' visit to Slovakia ends 3:00
Some conservative anti-vaccine bishops, particularly in the United States, have said Catholics should have the ability to plead conscientious objection to vaccination on religious grounds.
But the pope has made it clear in the past that he disagrees.
Last month he made an appeal on behalf of the US nonprofit group Ad Council and the public health coalition COVID Collaborative, saying that everyone should get vaccinated.
Report by Philip Pullella; edited by David Gregorio of Reuters
Pope Francisco
