The head of the Vati-can’s coronavirus taskforce said that humanity is facing “a tsunami of humanitarian crises” caused by the con-vergence of medical, eco-nomic and environmental factors.

This tsunami “has spread and spared no human life and no institution,” said Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Turkson, who also heads the Vatican department for Integral Human Development, and in the wake of the pandemic and its lockdowns domestic violence, discrimination, prejudice, and global conflicts have all “reared their ugly head.”

Cardinal Turkson spoke these words during a July 7 Vatican press briefing, in which he added that the world is currently “facing one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War.”
The cardinal noted his appreciation for the recent United Nations appeal for a global ceasefire, insisting that “there should be only one battle in the world: the battle against COVID-19.”

“Political tensions are rising, because of the decline in employment or the restrictions on movements,” he suggested, adding that the commission recognizes that “there can be no peace without reconciliation and healing.”