by Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press
Posted May 6, 2021 5:01 am EDT
Last Updated May 6, 2021 at 5:14 am EDT
ROME An eclectic mix of participants are taking part in a unique three-day Vatican conference on COVID-19, other global health threats and how science, solidarity and spirituality can address them.
Along with Pope Francis, the event includes Dr. Anthony Fauci, soprano Renee Fleming, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna and the lead guitarist of Aerosmith.
The conference, which begins Thursday and ends Saturday with a virtual audience with the pope, was planned well before the pandemic erupted last year. Organizers say it has only taken on more relevance amid a growing appreciation of the need for global access to health care, new advances in vaccine technology and greater understanding of the mental health cost of loneliness.
Vatican conference features Fauci, Francis - and Aerosmith
NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press
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1of8FILE - In this April 13, 2021 file photo, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a press briefing at the White House, in Washington. Fauci is participating along with soprano Renee Fleming, the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna and the lead guitarist of Aerosmith among others in a unique three-day Vatican conference starting Thursday, May 6, 2021, on COVID-19, other global health threats and how science, solidarity and spirituality can address them.Patrick Semansky/APShow MoreShow Less
2of8FILE - In this March 2, 2020 file photo, Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel attends a meeting with President Donald Trump, members of the Coronavirus Task Force, and pharmaceutical executives in the Cabinet Room of the White House, in Washington. Banel is participating along with Dr. Anthony Fauci, soprano Renee
One answer Fauci said he did have was that the key to overcoming current vaccine hesitancy is pairing the right medical message with the right messenger.
“You have someone who’s a deeply religious person who will listen to their clergy. That’s different than me with a suit going into an area telling people to do something,” he said.
He was referring to the religiously inspired resistance to taking COVID-19 vaccines that were indirectly developed using lines of cells derived from aborted fetuses. The Vatican has declared that all COVID-19 vaccines are not only morally licit, but that people have a moral responsibility to get the jabs to protect others.
Vatican conference to discuss 'mind, body, and soul' of medical advances cruxnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cruxnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The conference, which begins Thursday and ends Saturday with a virtual audience with the pope, was planned well before the pandemic erupted last year. Organizers say it has only taken on more relevance amid a growing appreciation of the need for global access to health care, new advances in vaccine technology and greater understanding of the mental health cost of loneliness.
Fauci, who is leading the U.S. pandemic response, told the online conference in recorded remarks Thursday that the pandemic had confirmed to him that faith and science are constantly evolving and that scientists in particular must humbly admit they don’t have all the answers all the time.