Vatican City: Pope Francis said on Saturday that the coronavirus pandemic has challenged many assumptions.
In a message for the 4th World Day of the Poor, which will be celebrated November 15, the pope said that “we feel poorer and less self-sufficient because we have come to sense our limitations and the restriction of our freedom”.
He said the loss of jobs along with the chance to spend more time with loved ones “suddenly opened our eyes to horizons that we have long since taken for granted”, and that the period of lockdown allowed many to rediscover “the importance of simplicity, and of keeping our eyes fixed on the essentials”.
He also said that the pandemic “has made us all the more aware of the presence of the poor in our midst and their need for help”, and that its sudden arrival sparked “a powerful sense of bewilderment and helplessness” that also demonstrated “our own need for an outstretched hand”.
