Pope Francis: COVID-19 Vaccine Should Be Made Available ‘Especially for the Most Vulnerable and Needy’

Pope Francis is advocating for the “most vulnerable and needy” so they can receive the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of others.

“Vaccines for everybody, especially for the most vulnerable and needy,” who should be first in line, Francis said on Friday, according to The Associated Press.

He said the development of the vaccines are a “light of hope” for the world.

Francis continued, “We can’t let closed nationalisms impede us from living as the true human family that we are.”

He called on leaders to “promote cooperation and not competition, and to search for a solution for all.”

Francis delivered his address from the Apostolic Palace instead of outdoors in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

During his Christmas address, Francis acknowledged the impact the pandemic has had on the world and urged all to come together.

“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,” he said.

Watch his remarks below:

Francis added, “May the child of Bethlehem help us, then, to be generous and supportive and helpful especially toward those who are vulnerable, the sick.”

He acknowledged those who are unemployed and women who have suffered domestic violence during the quarantine.

Francis also tweeted, “May Christmas be an opportunity for all of us to rediscover the family as a cradle of life and faith, a place of acceptance and love, dialogue, forgiveness, fraternal solidarity and shared joy, a source of peace for all humanity.”

Some have criticized those who have received the vaccine ahead of vulnerable populations.

Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late-Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), expressed her frustration on the matter on Twitter on Wednesday, as IJR previously reported.

“Merry Christmas to everyone except healthy people under 65 getting the vaccine before our frontline workers who have sacrificed everything for our country this year,” McCain tweeted.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) explained why members of Congress are receiving the vaccine before the public, as IJR previously reported.

“Well, look, in terms of the order of taking it, we were designated by a public health outside group because of continuity of government concerns,” he said during a Fox News interview on Monday.

He went on, “Second, I think it’s important for the leaders in the country to step up, take the vaccine and help reassure the American public. Because polls indicate about half the public is either skeptical about taking the vaccine or doesn’t want to take it at all.”