- In a New York Times op-ed on Thursday, Pope Francis spoke out against those who opposed the coronavirus Las Cadaun.
- “Focusing on the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals,” he wrote.
- The ruling comes after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of banning religious gatherings in New York, which was implemented by government Andrew Cuomo to curb the spread of the virus.
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Pope Francis condemned people who opposed coronavirus sanctions in the name of “individual freedom” and gave some stern advice to groups in an op-ed in the New York Times published on Thursday.
“Focusing on the common good is much more than the sum of what is good for individuals,” he wrote. “It means having respect for all citizens and trying to respond effectively to the needs of the least fortunate.”
As the epidemic began in the spring, governments around the world introduced stay-at-home orders to help limit the spread of COVID-19. In some countries, including the United States, such sanctions have been met with opposition from conservative groups.
“It is as if the measures that governments should impose in the interest of their people are a kind of political attack on autonomy or individual freedom.” Francis wrote about anti-people protests.
“It’s very easy for some people to take this idea – in this case, for example, personal freedom – and turn it into an ideology, creating a prism by which they judge everything.”
Although Francis did not name any country or leader, he called on governments to “remove the painful evidence of rising mortality, with unavoidable and serious consequences.”
With nearly 13 million infections as of Friday, the United States leads the world in confirmed coronavirus cases. President Donald Trump has been widely criticized for continuing to reduce the virus and avoid its severity since the outbreak as doctors and scientists predict an increasing number of deaths for the winter.
In the opinion piece, Francis described the public health crisis as a time that “reveals what is in our hearts” and “an opportunity to rethink our priorities”.
He wrote, “If we were less selfish than we went in when we should get out of this crisis, let us free ourselves from the pain of others.”
The commission’s visit comes a day after the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a ban on religious gatherings in New York. The decision blocks government Andrew Cuomo’s 10- and 25-person business limits, which he implemented to prevent further spread of the virus. Cuomo later called the verdict “irrelevant.”
