Amid ongoing outrage over global vaccine inequity, Pope Francis on Saturday urged pharmaceutical companies to “make a gesture of humanity” by lifting intellectual property protections and sharing Covid-19 vaccine technology with the world. The pope’s remarks came during a video address to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, a collection of grassroots groups, in which he expressed his belief “that we are not condemned to repeat or to build a future based on exclusion and inequality.” “In the name of God,” the pope said, “I ask all the great pharmaceutical laboratories to release the patents. Make a gesture of humanity and allow every country, every people, every human being to have access to the vaccines.” “There are countries where only three or four percent of the inhabitants have been vaccinated,” he added.
— source commondreams.org | Oct 16, 2021