Dear Brothers and Sisters
News of the successful development of effective vaccines against COVID-19 has brought much needed
hope, yet the pandemic is far from over. As cases rise and the virus mutates, the pandemic continues to
bring suffering, isolation, financial hardship and death, disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable
among us. Yet the crisis has also “revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat,
where one person’s problems are the problems of all” (Encyclical Fratelli Tutti [FT], 32). “With our gaze
fixed on Jesus (cf. Heb 12:2) and with the certainty that His love is operative through the community of His
disciples, we must act all together, in the hope of generating something different and better” (General
Audience, 26 August 2020).
In times of coronavirus and “great human and socio-economic viruses,” the Church is called to walk with
others on a “journey of healing,” bringing “light in the midst of darkness, […] justice in the midst of so
many outrages, […] joy in the midst of so much pain, […] healing and salvation in the midst of sickness and
death, […] tenderness in the midst of hatred […] to ‘viralize’ love and to ‘globalize’ hope in the light of
faith” (General Audience, 30 September 2020). We must “rediscover once for all that we need one
another, and that in this way our human family can experience a rebirth, with all its faces, all its hands and
all its voices” (Cf. FT, 35).
A first step in our journey toward a more just, inclusive and equitable world is making COVID-19 vaccines
available and accessible to all, as outlined in the December 2019 paper, Vaccine for all: 20 points for a
fairer and healthier world, published by the Vatican COVID-19 Commission and the Pontifical Academy for
Life.
The following resources are designed to support parish priests and staff in diocesan offices and health
and social service agencies. You will find information about the COVID-19 vaccine for varied audiences,
resources to support the preparation of homilies, relevant quotes from Pope Francis, links to useful
information, and short messages for websites, parish bulletins or other media. A Family Guide to the
Coronavirus (COVID-19) is designed to help local communities and to counter misinformation.
As we look towards a better future, we are reminded “how vulnerable and interconnected everyone is”
(General Audience, 12 August 2020) and that “to build a healthy, inclusive, just and peaceful society we
must do so on the rock of the common good” (General Audience, 9 September 2020). Ensuring access to
vaccines for all should be considered an act of love of our neighbour and part of our moral responsibility.
We hope this material can be helpful for use in parishes, clinics, schools, social service agencies, and
beyond. If you have any questions or suggestions for how local churches can get involved, please contact
vcc@humandevelopment.va.
Cabina di Regia of the Vatican COVID-19 Commission
H. E. Card. Peter K. A. Turkson
Prefect
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Mons. Bruno Marie Duffé
Secretary
Rev. Fr. Augusto Zampini
Adjunct Secretary
DiReSoM 