MANILA, Philippines — Pope Francis prayed for the protection of victims of natural disasters in the Philippines and Vietnam in his Christmas day message.

“May the King of Heaven protect all victims of natural disasters in Southeast Asia, especially in the Philippines and Vietnam, where numerous storms have caused flooding, with devastating repercussions on families in terms of loss of life, harm to the environment and consequences for local economies,” the pontiff said.

The Philippines faced a battery of storms that brought strong winds and heavy rains across much of Luzon and recently in Mindanao, leaving dozens dead or missing, damaging billions worth of infrastructure and crops, and wreaking havoc among residents there, some of whom were forced to celebrate Christmas in temporary shelters.

The pope previously offered his prayers to Filipinos hit by typhoons during one of his Angelus addresses in November.

‘Vaccines for all’

Pope Francis also called for universal access to coronavirus vaccines, as richer nations get first dibs on the coveted inoculations while poorer nations are left scrambling for doses of the shots.

“Today, in this time of darkness and uncertainty regarding the pandemic, various lights of hope appear, such as the discovery of vaccines. But for these lights to illuminate and bring hope to all, they need to be available to all,” Francis said.

The pontiff shunned nationalism and radical individualism which he identified as barriers to universal access to coronavirus vaccines.

“I cannot place myself ahead of others, letting the law of the marketplace and patents take precedence over the law of love and the health of humanity,” the pope said.

He called on government leaders, businesses and international organizations to foster cooperation and provide vaccines for all, especially the most vulnerable and needy regions of the world.

The Philippines is lagging behind the global race to secure doses of coronavirus vaccines, with it only being able to sign one supply deal with one supplier, British-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca, for 2.6 million doses which was made possible by some 30 private firms who pitched in to buy the shots. — Xave Gregorio