Eduardo González
The second vice president and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, held a private audience with Pope Francis yesterday, in which both expressed their concern about “the havoc that the wars are causing in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip,” according to the Ministry reported.
“The Pope acts as a spokesperson for humanity when he calls for a permanent ceasefire,” declared the vice president after the meeting, which took place in the Private Library of the Apostolic Palace of the Vatican.
Last Sunday, after the Angelus prayer, Francis asked for access to aid for the Middle East, Palestine and Israel and “wherever there is fighting” and paid tribute to “all the victims, especially civilians, caused by the war in Ukraine”. “Please let his cry for peace be heard. The cry of the people who are tired of violence and want the war to stop, which is a disaster for the people and a defeat for humanity,” he added.
A few days later, on the occasion of the National Day for Civilian Victims of War, which is celebrated in Italy every February 1, the Pope remembered “the many, too many, civilians, defenseless victims of wars that, unfortunately, continue staining our planet with blood, as in the Middle East and Ukraine” and asked “that the pain of the victims of war reach the hearts of world leaders,” according to Vatican News.
Likewise, Yolanda Díaz and the Supreme Pontiff yesterday addressed other “issues that concern both”, such as the preservation of the environment or the protection of human rights, including labor rights, the press release continued.
Díaz, who was already received by the Pope in an audience in December 2021, agreed with Francis in the defense of decent work, dignity in the world of work and the social and solidarity economy. “We have to do everything possible to guarantee new social rights and to reduce inequality in the world,” said the vice president.
The head of Labor explained to the Pope the measures undertaken by her portfolio to advance labor rights, such as the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage, or the initiatives that will be undertaken in this legislature, such as the democratization of companies or the reduction of working day without salary reduction. “Pope Francis is one of the best ambassadors of decent work in the world,” she said.
