“The pandemic must not become an alibi to justify omissions in the matter of justice and security,” Pope Francis said on January 29, during an address to members of the Italian Association of Leather Chemists. “On the contrary, the crisis can be focused as an opportunity to grow together in solidarity and in the quality of work.”

During his cordial remarks, the Pope noted strides made in ecological responsibility. Citing “the environmental impact of the activities that, like yours, use chemical products to treat the materials,” Pope Francis said that “today we are more aware of our ecological responsibility; we have grown in this, it’s a great thing.”