Pope Francis on Wednesday warned against any prospect that rich people would get priority for a coronavirus vaccine.

In remarks during his weekly public audience, Francis said: ”the pandemic is a crisis. You don’t come out of it the same —either better or worse.″

He added that “we must come out better.”

The pontiff said that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the world can’t return to normality if normal means social injustice and degradation of the natural environment.

Pope Francis said the coronavirus pandemic should serve as an opportunity to build a fairer and greener society, warning against a return to the old normal.

“We are all worried for the social consequences of the pandemic, all of us. Many want to go back to normal and resume economic activities.

“Sure, but this normal should not include social injustices and damage to the environment. Today we have an opportunity to build something different,” Francis said.

Francis said charity efforts were not enough to help the poor, and called for a fairer economic development model that would address the root causes of inequality.

He said public subsidies doled out by governments as part of post-coronavirus recovery aid should not benefit companies with a poor record on the environment, social and labour rights.

-NAN