In a message to a delegation of Orthodox prelates, Pope Francis said that the world must not return to its “normal” way of life as the Covid crisis eases. “Only one thing is more serious than this crisis,” he said, “and that is the risk that we will squander it, and not learn the lesson it teaches.” He went on to say that it would be “senseless” to “go back to relying on false securities, habits and projects that aim exclusively at pursuing wealth and personal interests, while failing to respond to global injustice, the cry of the poor and the precarious health of our planet.”

Pope Francis was speaking to the delegation from the Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople that had traveled to Rome to join in celebrating the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.