Pope and French President discuss
response to pandemic
 |
| French President, Emmanuel Macron, engages in a telephone conversation with Pope Francis (AFP) |
Pope Francis and the French President engage in a telephone
conversation focussed on the EU’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and the
need for debt reduction in poor countries.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis has taken the opportunity to express his
closeness and support to France, where Covid-19 has claimed more than 20,000
lives during a telephone conversation with the French President.
The President’s office said the Pope and President Emmanuel
Macron spoke for about 45 minutes on Tuesday afternoon by telephone.
It also said the Pope positively acknowledged “the
constructive responses taken by France at the international level after the
health crisis caused by the pandemic.”
The Holy See Press Office has not released a statement about
the event, as is normal practice regarding private conversations with the Pope,
but Macron’s communications office said the two leaders also agreed on the need
for a global ceasefire in all conflicts.
Global ceasefire and debt relief
This reflects the appeal made by Pope Francis during his
Easter Sunday Urbi et Orbi message in which he said: "May
Christ our peace enlighten all who have responsibility in conflicts, that they
may have the courage to support the appeal for an immediate global ceasefire in
all corners of the world."
In that message, Pope Francis also reminded the world that
this is not the time for indifference, self-centeredness or division and said:
“May all nations be put in a position to meet the greatest needs of the moment
through the reduction, if not the forgiveness, of the debt burdening the
balance sheets of the poorest nations.”
This appeal was immediately echoed by President Macron who
announced the possibility of cancelling the debt of African countries to assist
them in their fight against the Covid-19 virus and its far-reaching
consequences. And, in line with the Pope, Macron has also called for unity in
the fight against the virus.
With over 20,000 deaths, France has been the third country
most affected by the coronavirus in Europe, after Italy and Spain.
The President’s Office said the two leaders stressed their
convergence of views on these issues and revealed that Macron wanted to explain
how France was committed to going forward. At the beginning of the telephone
conversation, Emmanuel Macron reportedly also renewed his invitation to the
Pope to visit France.
EU member states to hold crucial meeting on pandemic
response
The exchange of views between the Pope and the French
President comes on the eve of a meeting of the heads of the 27 member states of
the European Union, scheduled to be held by video conference on April 23.
That meeting is expected to result in crucial decisions
regarding the financial instruments the union will adopt to assist states’
response to the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those nations worst hit by the
virus - Italy, Spain and France.
Macron in dialogue with faith leaders
Following Emanuel Macron’s telephone conversation with Pope
Francis, the President also reportedly engaged in dialogue with religious
leaders and secular associations in France.
According to a statement released by the Élysée, it was an
opportunity to maintain dialogue between public authorities and faith-based
organizations within the context of confinement measures taken due to the
Covid-19 pandemic. Bishop de Moulins-Beaufort represented the Catholic Church.
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