Archbishop Caccia: Child mortality remains ‘unacceptably high’

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

The number of child deaths globally remains “unacceptably high,” and many of them could be prevented.

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and Apostolic Nuncio, stressed this while addressing the General Debate of the 58th Session of the Commission on Population and Development on 9 April in New York.

Reflecting on the theme “Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages,” he noted that despite significant progress in improving the health and well-being of populations in recent decades, the Holy See notes with serious concern the health challenges that remain, especially for the most vulnerable populations.

Millions under age five dying each year

“Child mortality,” Archbishop Caccia deplored, “remains unacceptably high in many regions, with millions of children under the age of five dying each year from preventable causes such as malnutrition and infectious diseases.”

Rates of maternal mortality, he decried, also remain too high, with progress stagnating since 2015.”

Given this, the Apostolic Nuncio said, it is “imperative” that the challenges of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being are “not reduced merely to addressing technical issues" but lead to adopting !a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of all aspects of human development."

This approach, he said, must acknowledge the primacy of the human person and its God-given dignity at every stage of life.

Human dignity of every person

The Permanent Observer suggested that by focusing on the integral development of the human person, conditions can be created for individuals and communities to flourish in all aspects of life.

Recalling the family as the natural and fundamental unit of society, he said it plays "an indispensable role" in ensuring a healthy life and promoting well-being.

The family, being “the first school of human virtues, where children learn solidarity, responsibility and care for others,” he said, “also provides the primary care for the most in need, including children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities.”

Family must be priority

For this reason, he reminded, "the Holy See calls for the prioritization of policies that strengthen and support families, recognizing that families are the cornerstone of a healthy and flourishing society."

Moreover, he said, it calls "for policies that uphold the stability, unity and rights of the family create the conditions necessary for the well-being of all its members and foster the common good. Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being, therefore, requires placing the family at the center of all these efforts."

"To ensure the health and well-being of all," he said, "we must also acknowledge and address the stark health disparities that persist between developing and developed countries, especially regarding unequal access to healthcare, making it impossible for millions of people in low-income countries to afford or obtain even the most basic medical care.

Moral scandal requiring urgent action

This inequality, he said, is further exacerbated by the crushing debt burdens of developing countries.

“It is alarming," Archbishop Caccia stressed, "that many developing countries spend more money on servicing their debt than they do on making critical investments in poverty eradication, healthcare, nutrition, clean water and other basic needs necessary to ensure the health and well-being of their people. This is not just an economic injustice, but also a moral scandal that demands urgent action.”

Forgiving debt of impoverished nations

The Permanent Observer recalled how Pope Francis,  this Jubilee Year, has renewed his appeal for wealthy nations to “forgive the debt of countries that will never be able to repay them.”

Meaningful debt relief, the Archbishop suggested, would provide developing countries with the fiscal space to make critical investments also in healthcare.

Finally, Archbishop Caccia said, "the Holy See reaffirms that the promotion of health and well-being must always begin with a firm commitment to the inherent dignity of every person, at every stage of life, from conception to natural death."

"By upholding this principle, by promoting the role of the family, and by striving for economic justice," he concluded, "the wellbeing of all can be guaranteed."