CNA Staff, May 19, 2020 / 19:00 pm
The Holy See has pledged to contribute to the World Health Organization's emergency fund supplying protective equipment to medics fighting the coronavirus, an archbishop has said.
Addressing the World Health Assembly, held remotely in Geneva, Switzerland, May 18-19, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič highlighted the Church's efforts to combat the disease that has claimed the lives of more than 319,000 people worldwide as of May 19.
He said: "The Holy See has pledged to contribute to the WHO Emergency Fund for the supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to front-line medical workers and has already made various donations to the regions in need of urgent help."
The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO's 194 member states normally send delegations to the assembly, which usually takes place in May in Geneva.
Archbishop Jurkovič, the Holy See's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, reiterated Pope Francis' appeal for potential vaccines to be made available to everyone infected with the coronavirus, regardless of their geographic location.