Pope Francis is encouraging people in the Americas to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
The head of the Catholic Church is joining six cardinals and archbishops from the United States and Latin America in a video to encourage coronavirus vaccinations, calling it “an act of love.”
“Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19,” the Argentine-born pontiff says in his native Spanish in a short video produced by the Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative.
“They bring hope to end the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we collaborate with one another,” he added.
In the 3-minute video, titled “Unity Across the Americas,” leaders of the Catholic Church — representing the U.S., Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Peru and Brazil — join the 84-year-old pope to convey a message that vaccines bring hope and that they are the best way to protect people from a deadly disease.
“Getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love. And helping the majority of people to do so, is an act of love. Love for oneself, love for our families and friends, and love for all peoples,” Francis continued.
“Love is also social and political … it is universal, always overflowing with small individual gestures capable of transforming and improving societies,” he added.
The PSA, delivered in Spanish, Portuguese and English, was made in cooperation with the Vatican’s Dicastery for Integral Human Development, and it’s a part of the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative’s groundbreaking COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative.
The “It’s Up To You” campaign has invited “trusted messengers” to deliver “fact-based and life-saving information to populations hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccines, helping them to make informed decisions for themselves and their families,” the Ad Council said in a news release.
“The role of trusted messengers to educate and inspire their networks is undeniable — and has been a core element of our COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative since the beginning,” said Lisa Sherman, the organization’s president and CEO.
“To the world’s billion-plus Catholics, the Pope is one of the most trusted messengers and holds unparalleled influence. We are extremely grateful to him and the Cardinals and Archbishops for lending their voices and platforms to help people across the globe feel more confident in the vaccines,” she added.
COVID-19 cases have been on the rise, in many countries across the Americas, including the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and Peru.
However, while about 72% of adults in the U.S. have received at least one dose of the vaccines, rates of individuals fully vaccinated range from only 5.5% (Honduras) to 30% (El Salvador).
“Though access to vaccines continues to be a challenge, confidence in the vaccines also presents a hurdle,” according to the Ad Council.
