Pope Francis: COVID-19 crisis a chance to ‘come out better’

Pope Francis has urged world leaders to use the coronavirus emergency as an opportunity to reform the injustices of the global economy and the “perverse logic” of the nuclear deterrence doctrine. In a recorded video speech to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, the Argentine pontiff stressed the world is facing unprecedented challenges stemming from the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which “has exposed our human fragility and has called into question our economic, health and social systems”. “The pandemic has shown us that we cannot live without one another, or worse still, pitted against one another,” he said. “This is why, at this critical juncture, it is our duty to rethink the future of our common home and our common project.” He asserted the crisis provides a chance “to come out better or worse”, and there are plenty of reasons to work to come out better. The 75th session of the UNGA is being held mostly virtually this year because of the pandemic, which has killed nearly 985,000 people amid the more than 32 million confirmed cases. style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; top: 0; bottom: 0; right: 0; left: 0;">