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The Archbishop of Lima excoriates the pope's ambassador and other well-connected Peruvians for getting the anti-Covid jab before those considered most vulnerable
Bishop Carlos Castillo (below) ordained by the Apostolic Nuncio, Bishop Nicola Girasoli (above), in Lima on March 2, 2019.
By Thérèse Thibon | Peru
Pope Francis' personal representative to Peru is at the heart of a new scandal after it was revealed that he got the COVID-19 vaccine well before those in the poverty-stricken country who were supposed to be given priority for inoculation.
Italian Archbishop Nicola Girasoli, who has been apostolic nuncio to Peru since 2017, was one of nearly 500 well-connected people in the South American nation who got the jab ahead of those considered most vulnerable.
The 63-year old archbishop's name was on a list that Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti published in the daily newspaper El Comercio.
The new scandal, which is being called "Vacuna-gate", is shaking the Catholic Church in Peru.
The "indignant" archbishop of Lima
The Peruvian Bishops' Conference on February 17 issued a statement forcefully condemning the vaccination of these non-priority individuals.
The bishops did not name the nuncio directly. But they did criticize all those who "have selfishly taken advantage" of the vaccines by "leaving aside the interests of the country", especially "those who are on the front line" to fight against the virus.
Peru officially began its vaccination campaign on February 19, but only for healthcare workers and other first responders.
More than 45,000 people have died in this country of just over 33 million inhabitants, a per capita death rate that is the worst in South America and third in all of America, behind only the United States and Mexico.
Peru has not yet scheduled vaccinations for the general public. And the country's bishops decried the "Vacuna-gate" scandal as a manifestation of the "corruption" and the "ethical crisis" that are plaguing the country.
Archbishop Carlos Castillo of Lima also expressed his anger over the latest scandal.
"We are saddened and outraged," he said on national radio.
He pointed directly to the papal nuncio, saying Church leaders are not above the "problems of the people".
Archbishop Girasoli, a lifelong papal diplomat who has been nuncio in Africa and the Antilles, received two doses of the Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine on January 21 and February 11.
He explained that he had been "summoned as a consultant to the prestigious Cayetano Heredia University on ethical issues concerning this process".
He said he qualified to get the vaccine because of his "state of convalescence", claiming he had contracted the coronavirus in April 2020 and had "severe symptoms".
But Archbishop Castillo refuted the nuncio's explanation.
"These justifications are not sufficient," he said.
The 70-year-old archbishop, who was a theology professor working close to the poor just two years ago when Pope Francis appointed him to Lima, insisted that Church leaders should give "hope" to their people.
About 70% of Peru's residents identify as Catholics. When the coronavirus crisis erupted in the country last May, the bishops made a point of sending "a message of faith and hope to the Peruvian people".
The government had just declared a state of emergency and imposed a lockdown.
The "Vacuna-gate" scandal has shaken not just the Catholic Church.
The revelations have also sent shockwaves through the political world, as Peru prepares for general elections in April.
Among the 487 people who were listed as getting vaccinated before their turn were former president Martín Vizcarra, his wife and his brother.
There were also many members of the government, university rectors and high-ranking civil servants.
Two government ministers -- Pilar Mazzetti (Health) and Elizabeth Astete (Foreign Affairs) -- have resigned in the wake of the revelations.
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