ROME Pope Francis on Saturday welcomed doctors and nurses from the Coronavirus in Lombardy to the Vatican's destruction area and thanked him for his selfless efforts and "heroic" sacrifice.
Francis dedicated one of his first post-lockdown audiences to Italy's frontline medical and civil defense staff, saying his example of professional ability and compassion will help Italy build a new future of hope and solidarity.
During the crowd, Francis took a sarcastic comment on some conservative priests who called their complaints about church closure "juvenile."
The northern region of Lombardy, Italy's financial and industrial capital, is the most vulnerable region in the epicenter of the epicenter. Lombardy accounts for 92,000 of Italy's 232,000 official infections and about half of the nation's 34,500 deaths.
Francis said some of the dead were doctors and nurses, and Italy remembers them "with prayer and gratitude." More than 40 nurses and 160 doctors died and about 30,000 health care workers became infected during the nationwide outbreak.
Francis said that Lombardi's doctors and nurses were literally "angels" who prevented their family members from going to the hospital to heal patients or assist them in their deaths.
Speaking to Cuff, Francis praised the "little gestures of loving creativity" he offered: "Using his cell phone to bring the old man to death with his son or daughter." I had to say goodbye, look at them one last time… "
"It's great for all of us: evidence of intimacy and tenderness," Francis said.
The audience included bishops of some of the most difficult cities in Lombardy and representatives of the Italian Civil Protection Agency, which coordinated the emergency response and built area hospitals around the area. They sat down and wore protective masks in the frescoed halls of the Apostolic Palace.
Pope said he hopes that Italy will strengthen itself internally and spiritually: the personal and collective interests are interconnected.
"It's easy to forget that we need each other. Someone has to take care of us and give us courage."
At the end of the crowd, Francis made sure that the doctors and nurses were keeping their distance, as the Vatican pre-emptively told them to come to him to meet him and kiss his ring. Thing.
"We have to be submissive to social differences."
The complaints of some priests were criticized as "teenagers", affected by the lockdown measures, the reference to conservatives who burned the church, and their religious freedom.
Francis also praised the priests who knew they were "creatively" close to their flock, even on lockdown.
“This priestly creativity has won some, juvenile expressions against the actions of government officials who are responsible for taking care of the health of the public,” Francis said. "The majority are loyal and constructive."
This is the second time Francis has welcomed a group of spectators to the Vatican after the Vatican closed in early March to stop the virus in Italy. The first small encounter occurred on May 20, with a group of athletes raising money for hospitals in the two hard-hitting Lombardy cities of Brescia and Bergamo.
At the head of the delegation, Lombardy's governor, Atelio Fontana, invited Francis to visit Lombardy so that he could bring hope and consolation to the families of those who are still sick and have lost loved ones.
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