MESSAGE FOR THE IX WORLD DAY OF THE SICK
11 February 2001
1. Enriched by the grace of the Great Jubilee
and by contemplation of the mystery of the incarnate Word, in which human pain
finds "its supreme and surest point of reference" (Salvifici doloris, n.
31), the Christian community is preparing to celebrate the Ninth World Day of
the Sick on 11 February 2001. The place designated for the celebration of this
significant event is the cathedral of Sydney, Australia. The choice of the
Australian continent with its cultural and ethnic wealth highlights the close
bond of ecclesial communion: this bond transcends distances and fosters
the encounter of different cultural identities made fruitful by the one
liberating message of salvation.
The cathedral of Sydney is dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. This fact emphasizes the Marian
dimension of the World Day of the Sick, which has now been observed for nine
years on the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. As a loving Mother, Mary will once
again enable not only the sick on the Australian continent to feel her
protection, but also all who dedicate their professional skills and often their
whole lives to serving them.
As in the past, the Day will be an occasion of
prayer and support for the countless institutions devoted to the care of the
suffering. It will encourage the many priests, religious and lay believers who
seek to respond in the Church's name to the expectations of sick people, while
paying special attention to the weakest and those struggling the most, in order
to assure the victory of the culture of life over the culture of death
everywhere (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 100). Since I too have shared
the experience of illness several times in recent years, I have come to
understand more and more clearly its value for my Petrine
ministry and for the Church's life itself. In expressing my affectionate
solidarity to those who are suffering, I invite them to contemplate with faith
the mystery of Christ crucified and risen, in order to discover God's loving
plan in their own experience of pain. Only by looking at Jesus, "a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief" (Is 53: 3), is it possible to
find serenity and trust.
2. On this World Day of the Sick, whose theme
is The New Evangelization and the Dignity
of the Suffering Person, the Church intends to stress the need to
evangelize in a new way this area of human experience, in order to encourage
its orientation to the overall well-being of the person and the progress of all
people in every part of the world.
The effective treatment of various pathologies,
commitment to further research and the investment of adequate resources are
praiseworthy objectives which have been successfully pursued in vast areas of
the globe. However, while applauding the efforts made, one cannot overlook the
fact that not everyone enjoys the same opportunities. I therefore make a
pressing appeal that everything be done to encourage the necessary development
of health services in the still numerous countries which are unable to offer
their inhabitants proper living conditions and appropriate health care. I also
hope that the vast potential of modern medicine will be put at the effective
service of human beings and applied with full respect for their dignity.
In her 2,000-year history, the Church has
always tried to support therapeutic progress for the sake of ever improved
assistance to the sick. She has intervened in various situations with every
means at her disposal to see that the rights of the person are respected and
his authentic well-being always pursued (cf. Populorum progressio, n. 34). Today too, faithful
to the principles of the Gospel, the Magisterium
never ceases to offer moral criteria to guide medical personnel in studying
those aspects of research which have not yet been sufficiently clarified,
without violating the requirements of an authentic humanism.
3. Every day I go on a spiritual pilgrimage to
hospitals and treatment centres, where people of
every age and social background live. I would particularly like to pause beside
the patients, their relatives and the health-care personnel. These places are
like shrines where people participate in Christ's paschal mystery. Even the
most heedless person is prompted there to wonder about his own life and its
meaning, about the reason for evil, suffering and death (cf. Gaudium et spes, n.
10). This is why it is important that the skilled and significant presence of
believers should never be wanting in these structures.
Therefore how could I not make a pressing
appeal to medical and nursing professionals to learn from Christ, the physician
of souls and bodies, to be authentic "Good Samaritans" towards their
brothers and sisters? In particular, how could I not hope that everyone
dedicated to research will work tirelessly to identify suitable ways to promote
the integral health of the human being and fight the consequences of diseases?
How could I not, in addition, encourage those who are directly involved in the
care of the sick to be always attentive to the needs of the suffering,
combining skill and humanity in their professional life?
Hospitals, centres
for the sick or the elderly and every institution which cares for the suffering
are privileged areas for the new evangelization, which must be committed to making
the Gospel message of hope heard precisely in these places. Only Jesus the
divine Samaritan is the fully satisfying answer to the deepest
expectations of every human being in search of peace and salvation. Christ is
the Saviour of every person and of the whole person.
For this reason the Church never tires of proclaiming him, so that the world of
illness and the search for health may be enlivened by his light.
It is important, then, that at the beginning of
the third Christian millennium a new impetus be given to the evangelization of
the world of health as a place particularly suited to becoming a valuable
laboratory for the civilization of love.
4. In recent years, there has been a growing
interest in scientific research in the medical field and in the modernization
of health-care structures. We can only look favourably
at this trend, but at the same time it must be stressed that there is a
constant need for it to be guided by the concern to offer the sick an effective
service, supporting them efficaciously in the fight against disease. In this
perspective, there is increasing discussion of "holistic" care, that
is, care that pays attention to the biological, psychological, social and
spiritual needs of the sick and of those around them. It is particularly
necessary, with regard to medicines, treatments and surgical operations, for
clinical experimentation to be conducted with absolute respect for the
individual and with a clear awareness of the risks and, consequently, of the
limits involved. In this area Christian professionals are called to bear
witness to their ethical convictions and to be constantly enlightened by faith.
The Church appreciates the efforts of those
who, by engaging in research or treatment with dedication and professionalism,
help to improve the quality of the service offered to the sick.
5. The equitable distribution of goods, desired
by the Creator, is also an urgent imperative in the area of health: the
persistent injustice that deprives a large part of the population of the treatment
indispensable to health, especially in poor countries, must cease once and for
all. This is a grave scandal which can only prompt national leaders to make
every effort to ensure that those who lack material means are provided with
access to at least basic health care. Promoting "health for all" is a
primary duty for every member of the international community; for Christians it
is a commitment closely connected with their witness of faith. They know that
they must proclaim the Gospel of life in a practical way by promoting respect
for it and rejecting every kind of attack on it, from abortion to euthanasia.
Reflection on the use of available resources also belongs in this
context: their limitedness calls for the establishment of clear moral
criteria to guide the decisions of patients or their guardians regarding
extraordinary procedures which are expensive or risky. In any case, recourse to
forms of aggressive medical treatment should be avoided (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 65).
Here I would like to praise the individuals and
structures, and especially religious institutions, which perform a generous
service in this sector by courageously responding to the urgent needs of
persons and peoples in regions or countries of great poverty. The Church expresses
to them a renewed appreciation of the contribution they continually make in
this vast and sensitive apostolate. I would like, in particular, to urge the
members of religious families involved in health-care ministry to respond
boldly to the challenges of the third millennium, following in the footsteps of
their founders. In view of the new tragedies and diseases which have replaced
the plagues of the past, there is a pressing need for the work of "Good
Samaritans" who can offer the sick the treatment they need, but at the
same time provide them with spiritual support to endure their difficult
situation with faith.
6. I extend a particularly affectionate thought
to the many men and women religious who, with an ever increasing number of lay
people, are writing wonderful pages of Gospel charity in hospitals and
health-care centres. They often work in frightening
war zones and daily risk their lives to save those of their brethren.
Unfortunately, many have died for their service to the Gospel of Life.
I would also like to mention the many
non-governmental organizations which have recently arisen to help those
disadvantaged in the area of health. They can rely on the contribution of
"on-site" volunteers, as well as on the generosity of a large number
of people who financially support their activity. I encourage them all to
continue this praiseworthy work, which in many nations is sensitizing
consciences in a significant way.
Lastly I address you, dear sick people and
generous health-care professionals. This World Day of the Sick is taking place
shortly after the conclusion of the Jubilee Year. It is therefore a renewed
invitation to contemplate the face of Christ, who became Man 2,000 years ago to
redeem man. Dear brothers and sisters, proclaim and bear witness to the Gospel
of life and hope with generous dedication. Proclaim that Christ is the comfort
of all who are in distress or difficulty; he is the strength of those
experiencing moments of fatigue and vulnerability; he is the support of those
who work zealously to assure better living and health conditions for everyone.
I entrust you to Mary, Mother of the Church, to
whom, as I recalled at the beginning, the cathedral of Sydney, the spiritual
centre of the Ninth World Day of the Sick, is dedicated. May Our Lady of
Consolation make her motherly protection felt by all her suffering children;
may she help you bear witness before the world to the tenderness of God and
make you living icons of her Son.
With these wishes I impart a special Apostolic Blessing to you and to all your
loved ones.