ROME (AP) — The CEOs of pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Moderna have joined cardinals, academics and the lead guitarist of Aerosmith in opening a unique Vatican conference on COVID-19 and other global health threats. The conference that started Thursday and ends Saturday with a virtual audience with Pope Francis is looking at how science, solidarity and spirituality can address today’s health challenges. The event was planned well before the pandemic erupted last year and then postponed because of it. Organizers say the conference has only taken on more relevance amid a growing appreciation of the need for global access to health care, new advances in vaccine technology and greater understanding of the mental health cost of loneliness.
