Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father today received participants in an International Conference organized by the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care. The conference is being held in the Vatican from November 23 to 25 on the theme: "Pastoral aspects of the treatment of infectious diseases." In his address the Pope said the “Diseases such as leprosy, TB, AIDS Ebola evoke terrible scenes of suffering and fear” the persistence of infectious diseases despite progress in medical technology while highlighting the “inevitable limits of the human condition”, must not induce us give up the search “for more effective means and ways of intervention to fight these diseases and alleviate the suffering of those affected”.
The Holy Father recalled “hosts of men and women” who put their competence and generosity including many who even sacrificed their lives to be at the disposal of the sick. Nor can we forget “people with infectious diseases forced to live in isolation marked by a humiliating stigma”, whose situation is aggravated further by disparity of social and economic between the north and the south of the world. It is “important to promote initiatives which foster proximity to the sick, render more lively evangelisation of culture and offer inspiration for the economic and political programmes of governments”.
The ecclesial community is called to be close to people suffering from infectious diseases, following the example of Christ “broke with the tradition of the time not only letting lepers come close to human but also healing them in health and personal dignity”. Many of his disciples have imitated him in two thousand years of Christian history and Pope Benedict XVI recalled Francis of Assisi’s embrace with the leper, blessed Damian De Veuster, apostle of lepers who died of leprosy on the island of Molokai, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and Italian nursing nuns who died of the Ebola virus, and many who promoted initiatives to assist people with infectious diseases, mainly in developing countries. “May the exercise of charity towards those who suffer- the Pope said -, render visible the values inspired by authentic humanity and the Gospel: the dignity of the human person, mercy, seeing Christ in the sick person. An intervention is insufficient, unless it reveals love for the person, a love nourished by the encounter with Christ.”
The Pope said “among the prejudices which hinder or limit effective assistance to people with infectious diseases, there is the attitude of indifference and even exclusion and rejection which sometimes emerges in affluent societies”, encouraged by the media which presents people “mainly concerned with physical beauty, health and biological vitality”. This tendency leads people “to be self centred, closed in their own small world, to flee serving those in need”. Hence the need for “pastoral care which helps the sick face suffering, transforming their condition in a time of grace for self and for others, by means of profound participation in the mystery of Christ”. Last of all Pope Benedict XVI underlined the need to install profound collaboration with the various public instances, “to achieve social justice in such a an important sector as care and assistance for people with infectious diseases”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 25/11/2006 - Righe 41, parole 589)
