We assisted our partners from Europe, a Patient with the organising of a conference in collaboration with the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and the Centre for the Thought of John Paul II, held on the 7th and 8th of October 2021 at Casina Pio IV in Vatican City.
This conference, fittingly named ‘Healing Patient Europe’, focused on the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the imminent dangers of climate change.
The event was attended by leaders in politics, business, science, and faith. Among the attendees:
- Co-Chair of the European Greens/EFA in the European Parliament Philippe Lamberts
- Italian Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility Enrico Giovannini
- Former EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Integration László Andor
- Interim secretary of the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Dev. Sister Alessandra Smerilli
- Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher
- President of the European Climate Foundation Laurence Tubiana
- Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet Richard Horton
- Joe Guinan, The Democracy Collaborative, The Next System Project
- Economists Mariana Mazzucato and Jeffrey Sachs
- Vice President of the European Trade Union Confederation Esther Lynch
- Antonio Spilimbergo of the International Monetary Fund
- Edward Lucas, journalist of The Times and Liberal Democratic party candidate for MP
- Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Southampton Dr. Nisreen Alwan
- And Research-Aid Networks’ own Dr. Jeremy Rossman and Vicky van der Togt
Read more about the conference below:
At the outbreak of the first wave of the pandemic Pope Francis warned that we must avoid a viral genocide caused by putting the supposed good of the economy before human’s lives. As research shows, the countries that put protection of lives of their citizens at the centre of their policies now have best results not only in terms of public health, but also of economic growth and civil liberties.
There are different working solutions on the table provided by leading scientists. But introducing them takes political will, says Aleksander Temkin, member of the Board of Europe, a Patient Association. ‘A Europe which normalises the crisis and abandons the most vulnerable abandons both the ethics of the Gospel and legacy of the Enlightenment. With this meeting we want to show that Europe must and can win against a pandemic.” Temkin says.
According to Dr. Mateusz Piotrowski, President of “Europe, a Patient” the UE holds responsibility for showing the way to the rest of the world by effectively eliminating the virus, introducing adequate policies to stop climate breakdown and financially supporting its citizens, workers and small businesses struggling with crisis and the transition. “If Europe fails to eliminate the virus the present chaos will prove itself to be just a training ahead of the chaos coming from climate breakdown.” – Dr. Piotrowski adds.
“Europe is sick. Europe is sick with COVID-19. Europe is sick because it has lost the bond of solidarity between its member states and with the rest of humanity. Healing Patient Europe calls some of the best doctors to come to the bedside of a European patient to diagnose and offer treatment.” – concludes Rocco Buttiglione, former Italian Minister for European Affairs and member of the Pontifical Academy.
Dr. Jeremy Rossman was pleased to be able to speak on the dangers, both at present as in the future, of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well of the need for support for patients of both acute COVID disease as patients who are suffering from the long-term effects of having gone through SARS-CoV-2 infections (Long Covid).
Vicky van der Togt was grateful to be invited and to be able to share her own Long Covid experience,
and all the difficulties that brought about, with the attendees, to further highlight the need for immediate
and elaborate action on the matter, both nationally as well as European-wide.
Click here for the full list of recordings of the conference.
The official conclusions and recommendations of the event have been passed to the participants of the Rome G20 meeting, hosted by the Italian Prime Minister and member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, Mario Draghi.
