Fiocruz gets a support message from Pope Francis

Pope Francis has sent a message praising and thanking Fiocruz and its staff for its accomplishments. His blessing was sent as a response to an invitation for him to send a message on the occasion of the Fratelli Tutti seminar: The global social message of Pope Francis, promoted by the Global Health Center of Fiocruz (Cris/Fiocruz), on November 3rd.

"At this moment when Brazil, along with the rest of the world, faces the Covid-19 pandemic, this institution's mission and that of each healthcare professional are even more significant," the pope stated in the letter, in which he acknowledges “the work of scientific excellence in the field of public health carried out in this centenary institution that, like its renowned founder, the sanitarian Oswaldo Cruz, promotes health and quality of life for Brazilians”.

At the event, theologian and philosopher Leonardo Boff spoke on the Fratelli Tutti encyclical, which reinforces the notion of fraternity and social friendship, and is a reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan.

“I think that Fiocruz’s effort, as well as so many other research centers in Brazil and that of every woman and man, researcher, doctor or nurse, in addition to being a manifestation of professional zeal, can – and should – be experienced as an expression concrete love of neighbor ”, wrote Francisco in his message to the Foundation.

“This manifestation of the pope, one of the greatest political leaders today, calls for solidarity and fraternity. If we don’t all save ourselves, nobody will be saved, this is the central message of Pope Francis about the Covid-19 pandemic that we face today”, explains the creator of the event and the director of Cris/Fiocruz, Paulo Buss.

The online event is part of the series of José Ferreira Advanced Seminars in Global Health and Health Diplomacy and was attended by the president of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, Luiz Davidovich, and by Fiocruz emeritus professor Maria Cecília Minayo as debaters. Mediation was in charge of Cris/Fiocruz coordinator, Paulo Buss. Named after the co-founder of Cris/Fiocruz, the series tackles essential subjects for Global Health and Diplomacy in Health.