Pope Francis calls access to accurate COVID information 'a human right'

• Francis also called for compassion with individuals who have been misled by false information about the pandemic, and said that being informed by scientific data and accurate information is a human right.
• "Fake news has to be refuted, but individual persons must always be respected, for they believe it often without full awareness or responsibility," he said.

The big picture: Francis, 85, has been an outspoken advocate for the COVID-19 vaccines, saying that "getting the vaccines that are authorized by the respective authorities is an act of love."

• He also suggested this month that getting the vaccine was a "moral obligation," AP reports.

What he's saying: "Reality is always more complex than we think and we must respect the doubts, the concerns and the questions that people raise, seeking to accompany them without ever dismissing them," Francis said.

• "To be properly informed, to be helped to understand situations based on scientific data and not fake news, is a human right," he said, according to the Washington Post.
• "Correct information must be ensured above all to those who are less equipped, to the weakest and to those who are most vulnerable."

Go deeper: Pope Francis: Getting the COVID vaccine is "an act of love"