Pope Francis on Monday condemned "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, backing national immunization campaigns and calling health care a moral obligation.
"We have realized that in those places where an effective vaccination campaign has taken place, the risk of severe repercussions of the disease has decreased," he said.
Francis spoke in his yearly address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, sometimes called his "State of the World" address because it is a broad survey of the global situation.