To a group
of Odontologists
Your work is not limited to the
technical dimension
1. I extend my cordial greetings to each of
you, distinguished teachers of odontology, who have
come on pilgrimage to
2. You have most appropriately desired to celebrate
your Jubilee during the national meeting of odontologists.
You have thus emphasized that your work is not limited to the technical
dimension: it is also a mission which calls you to put your professional
competence at the service of your neighbour, in whom,
as believers, you see a reflection of Christ's face (cf. Mt 25:40). The worthy
institution to which you belong has as its goal scientific progress in odontology and in the university teaching of various
specialization courses: it thus acquires a broader perspective, all to the
advantage of the human person. This is why your profession needs constant
updating at both the technical and human levels, with particular attention to
the ethical and moral questions arising in your daily work. In this regard,
during your three-day congress of study and discussion you have sought to
identify the most appropriate methods and techniques to prevent infection but,
at the same time, you have asked yourselves how to practise
suitable forms of solidarity and international cooperation for the sake of
those in need. You have closely examined the new opportunities afforded by the
medical and health sciences, and, at the same time, you have studied how to
meet the needs of disabled and elderly patients. In expressing my appreciation
of these prospective efforts, I would like to invite you to persevere in your
generous intentions, so that each of you will always regard the service that
you offer individuals and society as a service to neighbour
and especially to the suffering.
3. The image which naturally applies to you who
are called to help the suffering is that of the Good Samaritan, who was moved
by compassion for the man attacked by robbers and left by the road. The Good
Samaritan par excellence is Jesus.
May he be your model. May he, who went about doing good and healing all who turned to him (cf. Acts
4. Dear brothers and sisters, the Jubilee Year
reminds us that Christ also came to bring contemporary man a superabundance of
the heavenly Father's grace. Accept his gift with a willing heart, with the
awareness that God wants all his children to be saved. In the mysterious
presence of suffering, which touches the lives of many brothers and sisters, be instruments and witnesses of his divine goodness. In the
faces of the sorely tried, the enlightened eye of faith can recognize the
features of Christ's face: the “man of suffering” who redeemed the world by his
Cross. May the Blessed Virgin, refuge and health of the sick, always accompany
you in your work, which should be inspired by these ideals.
With these sentiments, I invoke divine assistance upon you, as I cordially
impart to you my Apostolic Blessing, which I willingly extend to your families
and your loved ones.