Sally Blount will lead the agency during a time of economic turmoil that some economists predict could rival the Great Depression.

In the homily he offered during his morning Mass on April 28, Pope Francis expressed the hope that people will be socially responsible once the pandemic restrictions begin to be lifted.

Pope Francis warned against “the risk” of “being struck by an even worse virus” than Covid-19, namely “selfish indifference.”

The coronavirus pandemic is a shared experience for all inhabitants of the world, but it is not the same experience for all.

“This may be the time,” he said, “to consider a universal basic wage.” This points to what is usually known as universal basic income—a regular, substantial cash payment to people just for being alive.

Pope Francis said in an Easter Sunday message that the coronavirus epidemic could also be an opportunity for affluent societies to re-evaluate patterns of consumption and exploitation.