Pope Francis touts vaccine in ad campaign

Pope Francis, in a public service ad campaign launched on Wednesday, touted the benefits of the coronavirus vaccine, saying that making the choice to get vaccinated is “an act of love.”

“Being vaccinated with vaccines authorized by the competent authorities is an act of love. And contributing to ensure the majority of people are vaccinated is an act of love,” the pope stated in the video. “Vaccination is a simple but profound way of promoting the common good and caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable.”

“Thanks to God’s grace and to the work of many, we now have vaccines to protect us from COVID-19,” Francis added. “They grant us the hope of ending the pandemic, but only if they are available to all and if we work together.”

The campaign is set to include six cardinals and archbishops from North, Central and South America in addition to the pope in an effort to encourage more people globally to get the vaccine, The Associated Press noted.

Pope Francis received the coronavirus vaccine in January and called for all people who were eligible to also get inoculated.

“It is an ethical choice because you are gambling with your health, with your life, but you are also gambling with the lives of others,” he said at the time.

The Vatican collaborated with the Ad Council on the new campaign, which will be the nonprofit group’s first to reach beyond the United States, according to The New York Times.

The Ad Council and COVID Collaborative have been releasing public service announcements targeted toward discouraging vaccine hesitancy since January, Reuters noted.