Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Giovanni Rotondo (Agenzia Fides) – In the afternoon of Sunday 21 June, in front of the monumental entrance of the Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza at San Giovanni Rotondo, the Holy Father, Benedict XVI, addressed the patients, medical, paramedical and administration staff and family members.
“Every time we enter a hospital, our thoughts turn naturally to the mystery of sickness and pain, to the hope of healing and the inestimable value of good health, which we often only realise when it is lost – said Benedict XVI in his address -. In hospitals we have proof of the precious nature of our life and also of its fragility. Following the example of Jesus, who went all over Galilee, ‘healing people all sorts of sicknesses and infirmities (Mt 4,23), the Church, from the beginning, moved by the Holy Spirit, considered it a duty and a privilege to assist the suffering, cultivating preferential care for the sick ”.
At the beginning of his discourse the Holy Father recalled the reason which led Padre Pio to build the hospital [in 1956, today 1,000 beds]: his intention “was that in this medical centre people would have proof that the science of caring for the sick must never be separated from filial trust in God, infinite in his loving mercy".
With regard to the mystery of sickness and pain the Pope said “most existential questions remain humanly unanswered, since suffering constitutes an inscrutable enigma for reason. Suffering is part of the very mystery of the human person”. He then cited his Encyclical Spe salvi, where he affirmed " Indeed, we must do all we can to overcome suffering, but to banish it from the world altogether is not in our power. ..because we are unable to shake off our finitude and because none of us is capable of eliminating the power of evil…a constant source of suffering." (cfr n.36). And he continued: “The only person who can eliminate the power of evil is God. Precisely
because Jesus Christ came into the world to reveal to us the divine plan of our salvation, faith helps us penetrate the meaning of all that is human, hence also of suffering. There exists, then, an intimate bond between the Cross of Jesus - symbol of supreme pain and price of our true freedom - and
our own suffering, which is transformed and made sublime when lived with an awareness of God's closeness and solidarity. Padre Pio grasped this profound truth … at Casa Sollievo ne wished for ‘patients, doctors, priests to be reserves of love, and the more abundant the love, the more it will be communicated to others.”
Benedict XVI concluded: “Being ‘reserves of love: This, dear brothers and sisters, is the mission to which our Saints calls you who, with different roles, form the great family of this Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza. May the Lord help you to carry on the project launched by Padre Pio with the contribution of each and all”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 22/6/2009; righe 34, parole 493)
