Pope Francis admonished authorities during his Christmas address to prioritize the vulnerable and needy when they dispense the COVID-19 vaccine.
“Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” the pope said during his annual “Urbi et Orbi” speech from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, during a service that was pared down compared to other years. Straying from the text of his prepared speech, Francis said the development of such vaccines is a “light of hope” for the world, according to The Associated Press.
During his sermon, the pope also ventured to mention other issues that concern him, such as nationalism, economic inequality, and environmental problems. “We can’t let closed nationalisms impede us from living as the true human family that we are,” he said.
“At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters,” Francis continued.
The pope also spoke of divine love for creation. “God always loves us with a greater love than we have for ourselves,” he said. “That is his secret for entering our hearts.”
“Yes, God came into the world as a child to make us children of God,” Francis said of Christmas. “What a magnificent gift! This day, God amazes us and says to each of us: ‘You are amazing.'”
Francis made note of Jesus’ impoverished upbringing, saying “he deserved to be born as the greatest of kings in the finest of palaces,” but came humbly to “tell us that every outcast is a child of God.”
Regarding the unfair distribution of the vaccine, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) recently took flak even from fellow Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who seemingly rebuked her for taking her shot before more needy people.
As The Daily Wire reported:
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) took a shot Sunday evening at politicians who have cut the line, so to speak, in getting the Trump-backed vaccine against COVID-19 before it has been adequately distributed to frontline workers and the elderly.
Seemingly among the politicians in Omar’s crosshairs was fellow “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who broadcast her vaccine shot on Instagram just a day earlier. At 31 years old and in seemingly good health, Ocasio-Cortez is not in a high-risk category.
“Serious question. Is seemingly our entire top political leadership getting the vaccine ahead of others because of their age or their importance?” posed liberal politico Anand Giridharadas.
“It would makes sense if it was age, but unfortunately it’s of importance and its shameful,” blasted Omar. “We are not more important then [sic] frontline workers, teachers etc. who are making sacrifices everyday.”
“Which is why I won’t take it,” she declared. “People who need it most, should get it. Full stop.”
Related: ‘Shameful’: Ilhan Omar Takes Apparent Shot At AOC Over COVID-19 Vaccine