“Could the coronavirus crisis lead to a jubilee of forgiveness of debt, so that those who are in the tombs of indebtedness could find life?” questioned Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.  

Cardinal Tagle spoke about forgiving the debt of poor countries in the context of the Gospel where Jesus raises Lazarus from death.  He compared the tomb and death of Lazarus to the debt of poor countries that are yearning for liberation.   

Cardinal Tagle appealed to rich countries during the Covid-19 crisis to forgive the debts of the poor countries so that they could use their dwindling resources to support their communities rather than pay the interest imposed on them.