The great health and social crisis caused by the coronavirus this year focuses the message of the Pope for the World Day of Peace. The pandemic has brought out the best in humanity, with admirable testimonies of dedication by health workers, chaplains, volunteers.
But it has also given new wings to old ghosts like nationalism, xenophobia, and other forms of selfishness. This tough 2020 has taught us that we are all in the same boat. The Pope’s proposal is synthesized in the expression “culture of care”, as the means to rescue those who remain on the margins, to heal a social order sick with inequalities.
Francis encourages religious leaders to transmit the values of solidarity and respect for differences, while emphasizing the irreplaceable value of education, starting with the family, to build a more inclusive society. Along with this, the Pope reiterates his proposal to allocate the money consumed by military spending for the creation of a world fund against hunger and for development.
The message runs through the history of the Church, in which, according to the demands of each era, numerous institutions were born to alleviate all human needs: hospitals, orphanages, children’s homes, pilgrims’ shelters … and that story continues.
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