The second and third-ranking officials under the Pontiff have tested positive for coronavirus. 67-year-old Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who is secretary of state, had slight symptoms, while the deputy secretary of state, 61-year-old Archbishop Edgar Pena Parra, from Venezuela, had no symptoms, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said. It comes the day after Italy, which surrounds the tiny and sovereign Vatican City, reported more than 83,400 Covid cases. Meanwhile, the number of deaths related to the virus surged from 248 to 287.
Last week, the Pontiff spoke candidly about vaccination, calling it “the most reasonable solution for the prevention of the disease”.
In a speech to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, an annual event in which he sets out the Vatican’s foreign policy goals for the year, he stepped up his usual approach to the subject and described getting the jab as “a moral obligation”.
Though his COVID-19 advisors had referred to vaccination as a “moral responsibility”, the Pope had only dubbed it “an act of love”.
This time, however, his words were firm: “Frequently people let themselves be influenced by the ideology of the moment, often bolstered by baseless information or poorly documented facts.”
The Pontiff called for the adoption of a “reality therapy” to correct this “distortion of human reason”.
Demanding universal access to the vaccine, he added: “It is appropriate that institutions such as the World Trade Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization adapt their legal instruments lest monopolistic rules constitute further obstacles to production and to an organized and consistent access to health care on a global level.”
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