Pope backs COVID immunisation campaigns, warns of ideological misinformation

Pope Francis delivers the Angelus prayer for the Epiphany of the Lord from the window of the Apostolic Palace overlooking St. Peter's Square in Vatican City January 9, 2022. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Monday condemned "baseless" ideological misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, backing national immunisation campaigns and calling health care a moral obligation.

Francis spoke in his yearly address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican, sometimes called his "State of the World" address because it is a broad survey of the global situation.