Address to the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life

Pope Francis
20 February 2023

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear brothers and sisters,
Mr. Cardinal, dear Bishops,

I welcome you warmly! I thank Archbishop Paglia for the words he addressed to me, and all of you for the commitment you dedicate to the promotion of human life. Thank you! In these days you will reflect on the relationship between the person, emerging technologies and the common good: it is a delicate frontier, where progress, ethics and society meet, and where faith, in its perennial relevance, can make a valuable contribution. In this sense, the Church never ceases to encourage the progress of science and technology at the service of the dignity of the person and for an “integral and integrating” human development. [1: Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, no. 141.] In the letter I addressed to you on the occasion of the twenty-fifth year of the founding of the Academy, I invited you to explore this very theme; [2: Cf Humana communitas, 6 January 2019, nos. 12-13.] now I would like to reflect with you on three challenges that I consider important in this regard: the changing conditions of human life in the technological world; the impact of the new technologies on the very definition of “man” and “relationship”, with particular reference to the condition of the most vulnerable; and the concept of “knowledge” and the consequences that derive from it.

The first challenge: the change in the conditions of life of humanity in the world of technology. We know that it is proper for humanity to act in the world in a technological way, transforming the environment and improving the conditions of life. Benedict XVI recalled this, affirming that technology “touches the heart of the vocation of human labour” and that “in technology, seen as the project of his genius, man recognizes himself and forges his own humanity”. [3: Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in veritate, n. 69.] It therefore helps us to understand ever better the value and the potential of human intelligence, and at the same time it speaks to us of the great responsibility we have towards creation.

In the past, the connection between cultures, social activities and the environment, thanks to less dense interactions with slower effects, was less impactful. Today, instead, the rapid development of technical means makes the interdependence between man and the “common home” more intense and evident, as Saint Paul VI already recognized in Populorum Progressio. [4: Cf. no. 65.] On the contrary, the force and acceleration of interventions is such as to produce significant mutations – because there is a geometric acceleration, not a mathematical one -, both in the environment and in human living conditions, with effects and developments that are not always clear and predictable. This is being demonstrated by various crises, from the pandemic to the energy crisis, from the climate crisis to the migratory crisis, the consequences of which affect one another, amplifying each other. Sound technological development cannot fail to take into account these complex intersections.

Second challenge: the impact of the new technologies on the definition of “man” and “relationship”, especially with regard to the condition of the most vulnerable people. It is clear that the technological form of human experience is becoming more pervasive every day: in the distinctions between “natural” and “artificial”, “biological” and “technological”, the criteria for discerning what is proper to the human and the technological are becoming increasingly difficult. In particular, the importance of the concept of personal consciousness as relational experience, which cannot be separated from corporeality or culture, must be decisively reaffirmed. In other words, in the network of relationships, both subjective and community, technology cannot supplant human contact, the virtual cannot substitute the real, and the social networks cannot replace the social environment. And we are tempted to let the virtual prevail over the real: this is an ugly temptation.

Even within processes of scientific research, the relationship between the person and the community indicates increasingly complex ethical turning implications. For example, in the field of healthcare, where the quality of information and the assistance of the individual depends largely on the collection and study of available data. Here the problem of reconciling the confidentiality of personal data with the sharing of information that affects the interest of all must be addressed. Indeed, it would be selfish to ask to be treated with the best resources and skills available to society without contributing to increasing them. More generally, I think that the urgency that the distribution of resources and access to treatment should be to the benefit of all, so that inequalities are reduced and the necessary support is guaranteed to the most fragile, such as the disabled, the sick and the poor.

It is therefore necessary to be vigilant about the speed of transformations, the interaction between changes and the possibility of guaranteeing an overall balance. Moreover, this balance is not necessarily the same in different cultures, as instead the technological view would appear to presume when it imposes itself as a universal and homogeneous language and culture – this is a mistake. Instead, efforts must be made to ensure that each one “be helped to grow in its own distinct way and to develop its capacity for innovation while respecting the values of its proper culture”. [5: Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, no. 51.]

Third challenge: the definition of the concept of knowledge and the consequences that derive from this. All the elements considered so far lead us to ask ourselves about our ways of knowing, aware that the fact that the type of knowledge we implement already has moral implications in itself. For example, it is reductive to look for the explanation of phenomena only in the characteristics of the individual elements that compose it. There is a need for more structured models, that take into account the interplay of relationships of which single events are woven. For instance, it is paradoxical when referring to technologies for enhancing a subject’s biological functions, to speak of an “augmented” person if one forgets that the human body refers to the integral good of the person and therefore cannot be identified with the biological organism alone. A wrong approach in this field actually ends up not by “augmenting”, but by “compressing” man.

In Evangelii Gaudium and especially in Laudato si’, I emphasized the importance of knowledge on a human, organic scale, for example highlighting that “the whole is greater than its parts” and that “everything in the world is connected”. [6: Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, nos. 234-237; Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, n. 16.] I believe that such insights can foster a renewed way of thinking also in the theological sphere; [7: Cf. Apostolic Constitution Veritatis gaudium, nos. 4-5.] indeed, it is good for theology to move beyond eminently apologetic approaches, to contribute to the definition of a new humanism and to foster reciprocal listening and mutual comprehension between science, technology and society. Indeed, the lack of constructive dialogue between these realities impoverishes the reciprocal trust that underlies all human coexistence and every form of “social friendship”. [8: Cf. Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti, no. 168.] I would also like to mention the importance of the contribution of dialogue between the great religious traditions to this end. They possess secular wisdom, which can help in these processes. You have shown that you know how to grasp its value, for example by promoting, even in recent times, interreligious meetings on the topics of the “end of life” [9: Cf. Position Paper of the Abrahamic monotheistic religions on matters regarding the end of life, 28 October 2019.] and artificial intelligence. [10: Cf. Signing of the Rome Call for AI Ethics, 10 January 2023.]

Dear brothers and sisters, faced with such complex current challenges, the task before you is enormous. It is a matter of starting from the experiences we all share as human beings and studying them, taking on the perspectives of complexity, trans-disciplinary dialogue and collaboration between different subjects. But we must never be discouraged: we know that the Lord does not abandon us and that what we accomplish is rooted in the trust we place in Him, “who lovest the living” ( Wis 11:26). You have committed yourselves in recent years so that scientific and technological growth be increasingly reconciled with a parallel “development in human responsibility, values and conscience” [11: Encyclical Letter Laudato si’, no. 105.]: I invite you to continue along this path, while I bless you and ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you.

Address to a delegation from the Italian Federation for Rare Diseases (UNIAMO)

Pope Francis
13 February 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

I thank the President for her kind words, and I greet you all, who form part of the Italian Federation for Rare Diseases. I have had the opportunity to greet you other times after the Angelus, on the occasion of the World Day for Rare Diseases, which is held on 28 February. Instead, today we can get to know each other better and share your hopes and your sufferings. To share, as your motto says, which is summarized in the word “Uniamo”, let us unite. Let us unite our experiences, let us unite our strengths, let us unite our hopes. This key word of yours is fundamental and merits reflection.

The first value of your organization is that of sharing. At the beginning it is a necessity, then it becomes a choice. When a father and a mother discover that their child has a rare disease, they need to meet other parents who have lived and are living the same experience. It is a need. And since the disease is rare, it becomes essential to refer to an association that brings together people who deal with that disease every day: they know the symptoms, the therapies, the treatment centres and so on. At the beginning this is an obligatory route: a way out of the anguish of finding oneself alone and unarmed in front of an enemy. Gradually, though, the way of sharing becomes a choice, sustained by two motivations. The first is realizing that it is necessary, it helps, it offers solutions, at least temporarily, it enables us to orient ourselves a little in the fog of the situation. And the second motivation comes from the pleasure of human relationships, from the good of friendship with people who until yesterday we did not even know, and who now confide their experiences to us to help us bear a very burdensome situation together. This is the first great value that I see in you, in your association.

There is then another value, equally important but different, both on a social and also political level. It is the potential that an association such as yours has to make a decisive contribution to the common good. In this case, to improve the quality of the health service of a country, a region, an area. Indeed, good politics depends also on the contribution of associations, which, in specific matters, have the necessary knowledge and attention towards people who risk being neglected. Here is the decisive point: it is not a matter of claiming favours for one’s own category, this is not good politics; but rather it is a question of fighting so that no one is excluded from the health service, no one is discriminated against, no one is penalized. And this, starting from an experience like yours that is strongly at risk of marginalization. Let me give you an example: entities like yours can apply pressure to overcome national and commercial barriers to the sharing of results of scientific research, so that we can achieve objectives that today seem very distant.

Certainly, it is difficult to commit on behalf of everyone when you are already struggling to face your own problem. But precisely here lies the strength of the association, and even more so the federation: the capacity to give a voice to the many who, alone, would not be able to make themselves heard, and thus represent a need. In this regard, it would be important to involve and listen to patient representatives from the very first phases of decision-making processes. Indeed, associations not only ask, but also give. In your relations with institutions at various levels, you not only ask, but also give: knowledge, contacts, and above all people, people who can lend a hand for the common good, if they work with a spirit of service and civic sense.

Dear friends, thank you for this very welcome visit. I encourage you to go forward in your commitment. I ask Our Lady to accompany every person and every family who faces a rare disease. I wholeheartedly bless you and all your community. And I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you!

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Words of the Holy Father

During the audience, the Holy Father gathered some children around him, handing them rosary chaplets, and addressed the following words to them:

At times, we prepare things to say, all the ideas… But reality speaks better than ideas. The real speech was made by them today, gathering round spontaneously, giving the best of themselves, a smile, a curiosity, reaching out their hand to take the rosary – there are no fools here, none! They know how to do it well. And this was the sermon today, for us. Therefore, I thought that to continue to speak, after this living sermon, would not make sense. I will give the text to the President, and in this way she can make it known to you. And after the blessing, I will greet you all. This is the text I wanted to say. But the true sermon was what they did, with their limitations, their illnesses, but they made us understand that there is always the possibility to grow and to go forward.

And to you, thank you, thank you for this. This is the prize for you: seeing how these children have done. Thank you.

Address to representatives of the National Federation of the Associations of Medical Radiology Health Technicians and Technical, Rehabilitation and Prevention Health Professions

Pope Francis
16 January 2023

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning and welcome!

I thank the president for her words of greeting. You represent thousands of healthcare professionals: so this meeting gives me the opportunity to reiterate my closeness and gratitude for what you do every day. I would like to thank you for your commitment and dedication, especially when they are hidden. Health professionals, over the past three years, have had a very special experience, one that is difficult to imagine, that of the pandemic. It has been said before, but it must not be forgotten: without your commitment and labours, many sick people would not have been cured. Your sense of duty inspired by the power of love has enabled you to serve your neighbour, even putting your own health at risk. And with you, I thank all the other healthcare workers.

In less than a month’s time, 11 February, will mark World Day of the Sick, which also always invites reflection on the experience of illness. This is all the more appropriate today, indeed necessary, because often the culture of efficiency and rejection “pushes” us to sweep it under the carpet, leaving no room for human frailty. In this way, when evil bursts onto the scene and wounds us, we are left stunned. Moreover, others might abandon us at such times. Or, in our own moments of weakness, we may feel that we should abandon others in order to avoid becoming a burden. This is how loneliness sets in” (Message for the 31st World Day of the Sick).

The culture of care, personified by the good Samaritan (cf. Lk 10:25-37) acts in the opposite direction. He does not look away; he approaches the wounded man with compassion and takes care of that person the others had ignored. This parable shows a precise line of behaviour: it “shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good” (Encyclical Fratelli tutti, 67).

Dear friends, your profession stems from a choice of values. With your service, you contribute to “lifting up and rehabilitating” your patients, remembering that first and foremost they are people. Indeed, the person should always be at the centre, with all his or her components, including the spiritual; a unified totality, in which the biological and spiritual, cultural and relational, planning and environmental dimensions of the human being are harmonized in the course of life. This principle, which is at the root of the ethical Constitution of your Federation, guides you path and makes it possible not to give in to a sterile focus on efficiency or a cold application of protocols. The sick are people who ask to be cured and to feel they are cared for, and therefore it is important to relate to them with humanity and empathy. Certainly, with a high professional level, but with humanity and empathy.

But you too, healthcare professionals, are people, and you need someone to take care of you, through the recognition of your service, the protection of adequate working conditions and the involvement of an appropriate number of carers, so that the right to healthcare for all is recognized. It is up to each country to seek “strategies and resources in order to guarantee each person’s fundamental right to basic and decent healthcare” (Message for the 31st World Day of the Sick). Health is not a luxury! A world that discards the sick, that does not assist those who cannot afford care, is a cynical world without a future. Let us always remember this: health is not a luxury, it is for all.

I urge to to look always to ethical values as an indispensable point of reference for your professions. Indeed, if assimilated well and joined with scientific knowledge and the necessary skills, values enable you to accompany the people entrusted to you in the best way.

Dear brothers and sisters, may you be accompanied by the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, whom the Gospel presents as a caring woman, rushing to help her relative Elizabeth. May she watch over you and your work. I bless you and your families from my heart. And I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you!

Message of His Holiness Pope Francis XXXI World Day of the Sick

11 February 2023

Dear brothers and sisters!

Illness is part of our human condition. Yet, if illness is experienced in isolation and abandonment, unaccompanied by care and compassion, it can become inhumane.

When we go on a journey with others, it is not unusual for someone to feel sick, to have to stop because of fatigue or of some mishap along the way. It is precisely in such moments that we see how we are walking together: whether we are truly companions on the journey, or merely individuals on the same path, looking after our own interests and leaving others to “make do”. For this reason, on the thirty-first World Day of the Sick, as the whole Church journeys along the synodal path, I invite all of us to reflect on the fact that it is especially through the experience of vulnerability and illness that we can learn to walk together according to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion, and tenderness.

In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, the Lord speaks these words that represent one of the high points of God’s Revelation: “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down,says the Lord God.. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak […] I will feed them with justice” (34:15-16). Experiences of bewilderment, sickness, and weakness are part of the human journey. Far from excluding us from God’s people, they bring us to the centre of the Lord’s attention, for he is our Father and does not want to lose even one of his children along the way. Let us learn from him, then, how to be a community that truly walks together, capable of resisting the throwaway culture.

The Encyclical Fratelli Tutti encourages us to read anew the parable of the Good Samaritan, which I chose in order to illustrate how we can move from the “dark clouds” of a closed world to “envisaging and engendering an open world” (cf. No. 56). There is a profound link between this parable of Jesus and the many ways in which fraternity is denied in today’s world. In particular, the fact that the man, beaten and robbed, is abandoned on the side of the road represents the condition in which all too many of our brothers and sisters are left at a time when they most need help. It is no longer easy to distinguish the assaults on human life and dignity that arise from natural causes from those caused by injustice and violence. In fact, increasing levels of inequality and the prevailing interests of the few now affect every human environment to the extent that it is difficult to consider any experience as having solely “natural” causes. All suffering takes place in the context of a “culture” and its various contradictions.

Here it is especially important to recognize the condition of loneliness and abandonment. This kind of cruelty can be overcome more easily than any other injustice, because – as the parable tells us – it only takes a moment of our attention, of being moved to compassion within us, in order to eliminate it. Two travellers, considered pious and religious, see the wounded man, yet fail to stop. The third passer-by, however, a Samaritan, a scorned foreigner, is moved with compassion and takes care of that stranger on the road, treating him as a brother. In doing so, without even thinking about it, he makes a difference, he makes the world more fraternal.

Brothers and sisters, we are rarely prepared for illness. Oftentimes, we fail even to admit that we are getting older. Our vulnerability frightens us and the pervasive culture of efficiency pushes us to sweep it under the carpet, leaving no room for our human frailty. In this way, when evil bursts onto the scene and wounds us, we are left stunned. Moreover, others might abandon us at such times. Or, in our own moments of weakness, we may feel that we should abandon others in order to avoid becoming a burden. This is how loneliness sets in, and we can become poisoned by a bitter sense of injustice, as if God himself had abandoned us. Indeed, we may find it hard to remain at peace with the Lord when our relationship with others and with ourselves is damaged. It is crucial, then, even in the midst of illness, that the whole Church measure herself against the Gospel example of the Good Samaritan, in order that she may become a true “field hospital”, for her mission is manifested in acts of care, particularly in the historical circumstances of our time. We are all fragile and vulnerable, and need that compassion which knows how to pause, approach, heal, and raise up. Thus, the plight of the sick is a call that cuts through indifference and slows the pace of those who go on their way as if they had no sisters and brothers.

The World Day of the Sick calls for prayer and closeness towards those who suffer. Yet it also aims to raise the awareness of God’s people, healthcare institutions and civil society with regard to a new way of moving forward together. The above-quoted prophecy of Ezekiel judges harshly the priorities of those who wield economic, cultural, and political power over others: “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them” (34:3-4). God’s word is always illuminating and timely; not only in what it denounces, but also in what it proposes. Indeed, the conclusion of the parable of the Good Samaritan suggests how the exercise of fraternity, which began as a face-to-face encounter, can be expanded into organized care. The elements of the inn, the innkeeper, the money and the promise to remain informed of the situation (cf. Lk 10:34-35) all point to the commitment of healthcare and social workers, family members and volunteers, through whom good stands up in the face of evil every day, in every part of the world.

These past years of the pandemic have increased our sense of gratitude for those who work each day in the fields of healthcare and research. Yet it is not enough to emerge from such an immense collective tragedy simply by honouring heroes. Covid-19 has strained the great networks of expertise and solidarity, and has exposed the structural limits of existing public welfare systems. Gratitude, then, needs to be matched by actively seeking, in every country, strategies and resources in order to guarantee each person’s fundamental right to basic and decent healthcare.

The Samaritan calls the innkeeper to “take care of him” (Lk 10:35). Jesus addresses the same call to each of us. He exhorts us to “go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). As I noted in Fratelli Tutti, “The parable shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good” (No. 67). Indeed, “we were created for a fulfilment that can only be found in love. We cannot be indifferent to suffering” (No. 68).

On 11 February 2023, let us turn our thoughts to the Shrine of Lourdes, a prophetic lesson entrusted to the Church for our modern times. It is not only what functions well or those who are productive that matter. Sick people, in fact, are at the centre of God’s people, and the Church advances together with them as a sign of a humanity in which everyone is precious and no one should be discarded or left behind.

To the intercession of Mary, Health of the Sick, I entrust all of you who are ill; you who care for them in your families, or through your work, research and volunteer service; and those of you who are committed to weaving personal, ecclesial, and civic bonds of fraternity. To all, I impart my heartfelt blessing.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 10 January 2023

Francis

Address to participants in the “Rome Call” meeting promoted by the Renaissance Foundation

Pope Francis
10 January 2023

Your Excellencies, Distinguished Authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I thank Archbishop Paglia for his kind words, and extend my greeting to Rabbi Eliezer Simha Weisz and Sheikh Abdallah bin Bayyah. I likewise greet Mr Brad Smith, President of Microsoft, Mr Dario Gil, Global Vice-President of IBM, and Mr Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of FAO, the first signatories of the Rome Call, as well as the members of the various delegations here present.

I am grateful to the Pontifical Academy for Life and to the RenAIssance Foundation, for their commitment in promoting, through the Rome Call, a shared ethics regarding the great challenges that lie ahead in the area of artificial intelligence. After the first signing in 2020, today’s event also sees the involvement of the Jewish and Islamic delegations, who are looking at so-called artificial intelligence with a perspective inspired by the words of the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti. In agreeing on promoting a culture that places this technology at the service of the common good of all and of the care of our common home, you are offering an example to many others. Fraternity among all is the precondition for ensuring that technological development will also be at the service of justice and peace throughout the world.

We are all aware of how artificial intelligence is increasingly present in every aspect of daily life, both personal and social. It affects the way we understand the world and ourselves. Innovation in this field means that these tools are increasingly decisive in human activity and even compelling in human decision-making. I encourage you, then, to continue in this endeavour. I am pleased to know that you also wish to involve the other great world religions and men and women of goodwill so that “algor-ethics” – ethical reflection on the use of algorithms – will be increasingly present not only in public debate, but also in the development of technical solutions. Indeed, every person must be able to enjoy a human and supportive development, without anyone being excluded. We must therefore be vigilant and work to ensure that the discriminatory use of these instruments does not take root at the expense of the most fragile and excluded. Let us always remember that the way we treat the last and least of our brothers and sisters speaks of the value we place upon all human life. We could take the example of asylum seekers: it is not acceptable that the decision about someone’s life and future be entrusted to an algorithm.

The Rome Call can be a useful tool for a common dialogue among all, in order to foster a humane development of new technologies. In this regard, I would reiterate that, “in the encounter between different visions of the world, human rights represent an important point of convergence in the search for common ground. At present, there would seem to be a need for renewed reflection on rights and duties in this area. The scope and acceleration of the transformations of the digital era have in fact raised unforeseen problems and situations that challenge our individual and collective ethos” (Address to the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life, 28 February 2020). The accessions to the Rome Call, which have increased over time, are a significant step towards promoting a digital anthropology, with three fundamental coordinates: ethics, education and law.

I willingly express my support for the generosity and dynamism with which you have committed yourselves, and I invite you to continue, with boldness and discernment, in searching for ways that will lead to an ever greater involvement of all those who have the good of the human family at heart.

Upon all of you, I invoke God’s blessing: May God bless all of you, that your journey may unfold with serenity and peace, in a spirit of cooperation. May my blessing also accompany you, and, please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

Address to members of the Italian Union of Blind and partially-sighted People

Pope Francis
12 December 2022

Dear friends, good morning and welcome!

I thank the President for his introductory words, and I am grateful to all of you, who form the Italian Union of Blind and Partially-Sighted People, for coming to share the concerns and projects of this phase of your commitment.

You wanted to do so on the occasion of the liturgical feast of Saint Lucy – which is tomorrow, and tomorrow is also the anniversary of my priestly ordination: I was ordained on Saint Lucy’s day – who is the patroness of those affected by disabilities or diseases of sight. I appreciated this choice, because it expresses in a traditional religious sense that belongs to the Italian people, and which is not contrary to the fact that yours is a lay, non-denominational association.

Lucy, a martyr from Syracuse, reminds us by her example that the highest dignity of the human being consists of bearing witness to the truth, following one’s own conscience at all costs, without duality and without compromise. This means staying on the side of the light, serving the light, as her very name “Lucy”, “she of the light”, evokes. Being clear, transparent people, being sincere, communicating with others in an open, clear, respectful way. In this way one contributes to spreading light in the environments where one lives, making them more humane, more liveable.

Starting from this cue we take from the figure of Saint Lucy, I would like to confide to you how I look at you, at your association: I see you as a constructive force in society, in particular in Italian society, which is going through a difficult time. This perspective may see strange, because we usually associate with disability the idea of need, assistance and at times – thank God, less and less – a certain pietism. No, the Pope does not look at you in this way; the Church does not look at you like that. The Christian point of view on disability is no longer, and must never be pietism or mere assistentialism, but rather the awareness that fragility, assumed with responsibility and solidarity, is a resource for the social body as a whole and for the ecclesial community.

Blind and partially-sighted people, well-formed in ethical principles and in civic consciousness, are on the first line for building inclusive communities, where each person can participate without being ashamed of his or her own limits and frailties, cooperating with others to complement and support each other. And we all need each other, not only people with problems of physical frailty; we all need the help of others to go forward in life, because we are all weak at heart, all of us. Yours is an association that has just surpassed one hundred years; it is a reality that by now belongs to national history: protecting the rights of people with sight disabilities, you have cooperated in the civil growth of the country. I encourage you to go forward with an ever more constructive, proactive style, as a force that conveys confidence and hope.

Italian society needs hope, and this comes above all from the witness of people who, in their condition of fragility, do not close themselves away, do not weep over themselves, but engage together with others to improve things.

Indeed, Saint Lucy is described in precisely this way: as a young and defenceless woman who nevertheless does not give in to threats and flattery, but on the contrary responds with courage and stands up to the judge who interrogates her. With the protection and example of Lucy, go forward!

I bless you and all the members of your association from my heart. I wish a happy Christmas to you and your loved ones! And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

Address to a group of disabled people on the occasion of International Day of People with Disabilities

Pope Francis
3 december 2022

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I am pleased to meet you today, on the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I thank Msgr. Giuseppe Baturi for his words, and also for the efforts of churches in Italy to maintain lively attention to persons with disabilities, with active and inclusive pastoral action. Promoting the recognition of the dignity of every person is a constant responsibility of the Church; it is the mission of continuing over time the closeness of Jesus Christ to every man and woman, especially the most fragile and vulnerable. The Lord is close.

To welcome people with disabilities and to respond to their needs is a duty of the civil and ecclesial community, because “even when disabled persons are mentally impaired or when their sensory or intellectual capacity is damaged, they are fully human beings and possess the sacred and inalienable rights that belong to every human creature” (Saint John Paul II, Message to participants in the International Symposium on “The Dignity and Rights of the Mentally Disabled Person, 8 January 2004).

This was how Jesus looked upon the people he met: with a gaze of tenderness and mercy, especially towards those who were excluded from the attention of the powerful and even the religious leaders of his time. Therefore, every time the Christian community transforms indifference into proximity – this is a true conversion: transforming indifference into proximity and closeness – every time the Church does this and transforms exclusion into belonging, she fulfils her proper prophetic mission. Indeed, it is not enough to defend people’s rights; it is also necessary to work to respond to their existential needs, in their different dimensions, bodily, psychical, social and spiritual. Every man and every woman, in fact, in whatever situation they find themselves, is the bearer not only of rights that must be recognized and guaranteed, but also even deeper demands, such as the need to belong, to relate to others and to cultivate the spiritual life to the point of experiencing its fullness, and to bless the Lord for this unique and wonderful gift.

To generate and support inclusive communities – this word is important, inclusive, always – means, then, eliminating any discrimination and genuinely satisfying the need for every person to feel they are recognized and feel part. Indeed, there is no inclusion if the experience of fraternity and reciprocal communion is missing. There is no inclusion if this remains a slogan, a formula to use in politically correct speeches, a banner to be appropriated. There is no inclusion if there is a lack of conversion in the practices of coexistence and relationships.

It is a duty to guarantee persons with disabilities access to buildings and meeting places, to make languages accessible and to overcome physical barriers and prejudices. However, this is not enough. It is necessary to promote a spirituality of communion, so that every person feels part of a body, with his or her unique personality. Only in this way can every person, with their limits and gifts, feel encouraged to do their part for the good of the entire ecclesial body and for the good of the society as a whole.

I hope that all Christian communities may be places where “belonging” and “inclusion” do not remain words to be uttered on certain occasions, but become an aim of ordinary pastoral action. In such a way, we will be able to be credible when we proclaim that the Lord loves everyone, that he is salvation for all and invites everyone to the banquet of life, without exclusion.

It strikes me greatly when the Lord narrates the story of that man who had prepared a feast for his son’s wedding and the guests did not come (cf. Mt 22:1-14). He calls the servants and says: “Go to the thoroughfares, and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find”. The Lord asks for everyone: young, old, sick, healthy, small, great, sinners and without sin… everyone, everyone, everyone! This is the Lord: everyone, without exclusion. We must learn this. We are, at times, a little tempted to go along the road of exclusion. No: inclusion. The Lord has taught us this: everyone. “But this one is ugly, this one is like that…”. Everyone, everyone. Inclusion.

Dear brothers and sisters, at this time, in which we hear daily bulletins of war, your witness is a tangible sign of peace, a sign of hope for a more humane and fraternal world, for everyone. Continue on this path! I bless you from my heart and I pray for you. Thank you for what you do, thank you! And I ask you to pray for me. Thank you!

Address to the members of the Federsanità Confederation

Pope Francis
4 June 2022

Dear friends, welcome!

I thank the President for her words. She quoted Saint Giuseppe Moscati, truly a “good Samaritan” who knew how to embody a style of integral care, in the territory. Your Confederation, which brings together local health authorities, hospitals, and scientific hospitalization and treatment institutes, together with representatives of the Association of Italian Municipalities, also has a strong link with the territory, in a continuous dynamic of exchange between local, regional and national levels. With your efforts, you contribute to maintaining the relationship between center and periphery, between small and large, weaving relationships and promoting pathways of socio-healthcare and socio-welfare integration.

Precisely from the identity of your confederation, I would like to propose three “antidotes” that can help you the path you have charted.

First, proximity: it is the antidote to self-referentiality. Proximity. Seeing in the patient another self breaks the chains of selfishness, topples the pedestal on which we are sometimes tempted to climb and prompts us to recognize ourselves as brothers and sisters, regardless of language, geographical origin, social status or health condition. If we are able to perceive the people we meet in hospital wards, nursing homes, and outpatient clinics, primarily as brothers and sisters, everything changes: “taking charge” of them ceases to be a bureaucratic matter and becomes an encounter, accompaniment, sharing. Our God is the God of proximity. Indeed, he presented himself as such: in Deuteromy he said: “What nation is there that has a god so near to it?”. Proximity, closeness. Our God, who is the God of proximity, chose to take on our flesh; he is not a distant, unreachable God. He walks with us, on the bumpy roads of this world, as he did with the disciples of Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-32), who listens to the confusion, the anguish, the cry of pain of each person. He asks us to do the same. And this is all the more important when we find ourselves in sickness and suffering. Becoming close to others also means breaking down distances, making sure that there are no first- and second-class patients, committing energies and resources so that no one is excluded from social and health care. And this brings us to what the president reminded us about public healthcare: when a country loses this wealth that is public healthcare, it begins to make distinctions within the population between those who have access, who can have paid healthcare, and those who are left without healthcare services. Therefore, it is a wealth of yours, here in Italy, public healthcare: do not lose it, please, do not lose it!

Here then is the second antidote: wholeness, which is opposed to fragmentation and partiality. If everything is connected, we must also rethink the concept of health from a holistic perspective, embracing all dimensions of the person. Without detracting from the value of specific expertise, healing a sick person means considering not only a certain pathology, but his or her psychological, social, cultural and spiritual condition. When Jesus heals someone, He not only eradicates the physical ailment from the body, but also restores dignity, reintroducing him or her into society, giving a new life. Of course, only He can do this, but the attitude, the approach to the person is model for us. A holistic view of care helps counter the “throwaway culture” which excludes those who, for various reasons, do not meet certain standards. In a society that is in danger of seeing the sick as a burden, a cost, we need to restore to the centre that which is priceless and cannot be bought or sold, that is, the dignity of the person. Illnesses may mark the body, confuse thoughts, take away strength, but they can never nullify the value of human life, which must always be protected, from conception to its natural end. I hope that research and the various health professions will always have this outlook.

And the third antidote is the common good, as a remedy to the pursuit of partisan interests. Even in the field of healthcare, the temptation to make the economic or political interests of one group prevail at the expense of the majority of the population. And this applies also on the level of international relations. The fundamental right to healthcare – I quote from the New Charter for Healthcare Workers – “pertains to the value of justice, whereby there are no distinctions between peoples and ethnic groups, taking into account their objective living conditions, and stages of development, in pursuing the common good, which is at the same time the good of all and of each individual” (no. 141). The pandemic has taught us that “every man for himself” translates rapidly into “everyone against all”, widening the gap of inequality and increasing conflict. Instead, it is necessary to work to ensure that everyone has access to care, that the healthcare system is supported and promoted, and that it continues to be free of charge. Cutting resources for healthcare is an outrage to humanity.

Proximity, wholeness and the common good: I give you these “antidotes”, encouraging you to continue to work in the service of the sick and for the whole of society. May Saint Giuseppe Moscati guide you in your daily work and give you the wisdom of caring and protecting. I bless you from my heart and entrust you to the intercession of the Virgin Mary. And please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!

Paus Franciscus
23 februari 2022

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We have finished the catechesis on St Joseph. Today we begin a catechetical journey that seeks inspiration in the Word of God on the meaning and value of old age. Let us reflect on old age. For some decades now, this stage of life has concerned a veritable “new people”, the elderly. There have never been so many of us in human history. The risk of being discarded is even more frequent: never have so many as now, been at risk of being discarded. The elderly are often seen as ‘a burden’. In the dramatic first phase of the pandemic it was they who paid the highest price. They were already the weakest and most neglected group: we did not look at them too much when they were alive, we did not even see them die. I also found this Charter on the rights of the elderly and the duties of the community: this was edited by governments, it is not edited by the Church, it is a secular thing: it is good, it is interesting, to know that the elderly have rights. It will be good to read it.

Together with migration, old age is one of the most urgent issues facing the human family at this time. It is not just a question of quantitative change; the unity of the stages of life is at stake: that is, the real point of reference for understanding and appreciating human life in its entirety. We ask ourselves: is there friendship, is there cooperation between the different stages of life, or do separation and being discarded prevail? 

We all live in a present where children, young people, adults and the elderly coexist. But the proportion has changed: longevity has become mass and, in large parts of the world, childhood is distributed in small doses. We talked about the winter demographic as well. An imbalance that has many consequences. The dominant culture has as its sole model the young adult, i.e. a self-made individual who always remains young. But is it true that youth contains the full meaning of life, while old age simply represents its emptying and loss? Is that true? Only youth has the full meaning of life, and old age is the emptying of life, the loss of life? The exaltation of youth as the only age worthy of embodying the human ideal, coupled with contempt for old age as frailty, decay, disability, has been the dominant image of twentieth-century totalitarianism. Have we forgotten this? 

The lengthening of life has a structural impact on the history of individuals, families and societies. But we must ask ourselves: is its spiritual quality and its communal sense consistent with this fact? Perhaps the elderly need to apologise for their stubbornness in surviving at the expense of others? Or can they be honoured for the gifts they bring to everyone’s sense of life? In fact, in the representation of the meaning of life – and precisely in so-called ‘developed’ cultures – old age has little incidence. Why? Because it is regarded as an age that has no special content to offer, nor meaning of its own to live. What is more, there is a lack of encouragement for people to seek them out, and a lack of education for the community to recognise them. In short, for an age that is now a decisive part of the community space and extends to a third of the entire life span, there are – at times – care plans, but not projects of existence. Care plans, yes; but not plans to live them to the full. And this is a void of thought, imagination and creativity. Underneath this thinking, what makes a vacuum is that the elderly, the elderly are waste material: in this culture of waste, the elderly are like waste material.

Youth is beautiful, but eternal youth is a very dangerous illusion. Being old is just as important – and beautiful – is equally important as being young. Let us remember this. The alliance between generations, which restores all ages of life to the human, is our lost gift and we have to get it back. It must be found, in this culture of waste and in this culture of productivity.

The Word of God has much to say about this covenant. Just now we heard the prophecy of Joel, the one who began today’s Audience: “Your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (3:1). It can be interpreted as follows: when the elderly resist the Spirit, burying their dreams in the past, the young can no longer see the things that must be done to open up the future. When, on the other hand, the old communicate their dreams, the young see clearly what they have to do. Young people who no longer question the dreams of the old, aiming headlong at visions that do not go beyond their noses, will struggle to carry their present and bear their future. If grandparents fall back on their melancholies, young people will look even more to their smartphones. The screen may stay on, but life will die out before its time. Isn’t the most serious backlash of the pandemic precisely in the loss of the young? The old have resources of life already lived that they can call upon at any moment. Will they stand by and watch young people lose their vision, or will they accompany them by warming their dreams? Faced with the dreams of the old, what will the young do?

The wisdom of the long journey that accompanies old age to its close must be experienced as an offer of meaning to life, not consumed as the inertia of its survival. If old age is not restored to the dignity of a humanly worthy life, it is destined to close itself off in a despondency that robs everyone of love. This challenge of humanity and civilisation requires our commitment and God’s help. Let us ask the Holy Spirit. With these catecheses on old age, I would like to encourage everyone to invest their thoughts and affections in the gifts it brings and in the other stages of life. Old age is a gift for all stages of life. It is a gift of maturity, of wisdom. The Word of God will help us discern the meaning and value of old age; may the Holy Spirit grant us too the dreams and visions we need. 

And I would like to emphasise, as we heard in the prophecy of Joel at the beginning, that the important thing is not only that the elderly occupy the place of wisdom they have, of lived history in society, but also that there be a conversation, that they talk to the young. The young must talk to the elderly, and the elderly to the young. And this bridge will be the transmission of wisdom in humanity. I hope that these reflections will be of use to all of us, to carry forward this reality that the prophet Joel said, that in the dialogue between young and old, the old can provide dreams and the young can receive them and carry them forward. Let us not forget that in both family and social culture, the elderly are like the roots of the tree: they have all the history there, and the young are like the flowers and the fruit. If the juice does not come, if this ‘drip’ – let’s say – does not come from the roots, they will never be able to flourish. Let us not forget the poem I have said many times: “All that the tree has that flourishes comes from what it has buried” (“… what the tree has that flourishes lives on what it has buried”, Francisco Luis Bernárdez). Everything beautiful that a society has is related to the roots of the elderly. For this reason, in these catecheses, I would like the figure of the elderly person to come up, to understand well that the elderly person is not a waste material: he/she is a blessing for society. Thank you.

Paus Franciscus
9 februari 2022

Beste broeders en zusters, goedemorgen!

In de vorige catechese hebben wij, wederom geïnspireerd door de figuur van de heilige Jozef, nagedacht over de betekenis van de gemeenschap van de heiligen. Juist vanuit dit punt vertrekkend zou ik vandaag de bijzondere devotie willen onderzoeken die de christenen altijd hebben gehad tot de heilige Jozef als de patroonheilige van een goede dood.

Het is een devotie die is ontstaan vanuit de gedachte dat Jozef stierf ondersteund door de Maagd Maria en Jezus, voordat Hij zijn thuis in Nazareth verliet. Er zijn geen historische gegevens bekend, maar aangezien Jozef niet meer naar voren komt tijdens Jezus’ openbare leven, denkt men dat hij in Nazareth is overleden, in bijzijn van zijn familie. Jezus en Maria waren bij hem toen hij stierf.

Via Jozef en Maria naar Jezus

Een eeuw geleden schreef paus Benedictus XV dat “wij via Jozef rechtstreeks naar Maria gaan, en via Maria naar de oorsprong van alle heiligheid, die Jezus is”. Zowel Jozef als Maria helpen ons om naar Jezus te gaan. En ter aanmoediging van de devotie tot de heilige Jozef, beval de paus er een in het bijzonder aan:

“Aangezien hij terecht als de meest doeltreffende beschermer van de stervenden wordt beschouwd, daar hij met de steun van Jezus en Maria is heengegaan, zal het de zorg van de heilige herders zijn om (…) die vrome verenigingen te steunen en te bevorderen die in het leven zijn geroepen om de hulp van Jozef voor de stervenden af te smeken, zoals die ‘van de goede dood’, van ‘de overtocht van de heilige Jozef’ en ‘voor de stervenden” (Motu proprio Bonum sane, 25 juli 1920). Dat waren de verenigingen van die tijd.

Donkere deur van de dood

Beste broeders en zusters, misschien denken sommigen dat dit woordgebruik en dit thema slechts een erfenis uit het verleden zijn, maar in werkelijkheid gaat onze relatie met de dood nooit over het verleden, zij is altijd aanwezig.

Emeritus-paus Benedictus XVI zei enkele dagen geleden, sprekend over zichzelf, dat hij “voor de donkere deur van de dood staat”. Het is mooi om paus Benedictus te bedanken die op 95-jarige leeftijd de helderheid van geest heeft om ons dit te zeggen: “Ik sta voor de duisternis van de dood, de donkere deur van de dood”. Het is een prachtig advies dat hij ons heeft gegeven!

Coronavirus

De zogenaamde wellnesscultuur probeert de realiteit van de dood weg te nemen, maar op dramatische wijze heeft de pandemie van het coronavirus deze weer onder de aandacht gebracht. Het was verschrikkelijk: de dood was overal, en talloze broeders en zusters verloren geliefden zonder dat zij in hun nabijheid konden verkeren, en dit maakte de dood nog moeilijker te aanvaarden en te verwerken.

Een verpleegster vertelde me dat een grootmoeder met corona stervende was, en ze zei tegen haar: “Ik zou graag afscheid nemen van mijn familie voor ik vertrek.” En de dappere verpleegster pakte de mobiele telefoon en verbond haar door. De tederheid van dat afscheid…

Desondanks proberen wij op alle mogelijke manieren de gedachte aan onze eindigheid uit te bannen, waardoor wij onszelf wijsmaken dat wij de macht van de dood wegnemen en de angst uitbannen. Maar het christelijk geloof is geen manier om de angst voor de dood te bezweren, het helpt ons die angst onder ogen te zien. Vroeg of laat gaan we allemaal door die deur.

Het ware licht

Het ware licht dat het mysterie van de dood verlicht, komt van Christus’ verrijzenis. Dat is het licht. En de apostel Paulus schrijft: “En als wij verkondigen dat Christus uit de doden is opgestaan, hoe kunnen dan sommigen onder u beweren, dat er geen opstanding van de doden bestaat? Als er geen opstanding van de doden bestaat, is ook Christus niet verrezen. En wanneer Christus niet is verrezen, is onze prediking zonder inhoud en uw geloof eveneens” (1 Kor. 15,12-14).

Er is één zekerheid: Christus is verrezen, Christus is opgestaan, Christus leeft onder ons. En Hij is het licht dat op ons wacht achter die donkere deur van de dood.

Een positieve rol voor de dood

Beste broeders en zusters, alleen door het geloof in de verrijzenis kunnen wij de afgrond van de dood trotseren zonder door angst te worden overweldigd. Niet alleen dat, maar we kunnen de dood een positieve rol geven. Nadenken over de dood, verlicht door het mysterie van Christus, helpt ons om het hele leven met nieuwe ogen te bekijken.

Ik heb nog nooit een verhuiswagen achter een lijkwagen zien rijden! Ik heb het nog nooit gezien. We gaan alleen, met niets in onze zakken, niets. Omdat de lijkwade geen zakken heeft. De eenzaamheid van de dood: het klopt, ik heb nog nooit een verhuiswagen achter een lijkwagen zien rijden.

Het heeft geen zin te van alles te verzamelen als we op een dag zullen sterven. Wat we moeten verzamelen is naastenliefde, het vermogen om te delen, het vermogen om niet onverschillig te staan tegenover de noden van anderen.

Wat is het nut van boos worden?

Wat heeft het voor zin om ruzie te maken met een broer of zus, met een vriend, met een familielid, of met een broeder of zuster in het geloof als we op een dag zullen sterven? Wat is het nut van boos worden, van boos worden op anderen? In het aangezicht van de dood, worden zoveel kwesties kleiner. Het is goed om verzoend te sterven, zonder wrok en zonder spijt! Ik wil iets waars zeggen: we zijn allemaal op weg naar die deur, wij allemaal.

Het Evangelie zegt ons dat de dood komt als een dief; Jezus zegt: hij komt als een dief, en hoezeer wij ook proberen zijn komst te controleren, misschien zelfs onze eigen dood te plannen, het blijft een gebeurtenis waarmee wij rekening moeten houden en waarvoor wij ook keuzes moeten maken.

Twee overwegingen springen er voor ons christenen uit. De eerste is dat we de dood niet kunnen vermijden. Het is juist daarom dat, nadat alles is gedaan wat menselijkerwijs mogelijk is om de zieke te genezen, het immoreel is om aan ’therapeutische koppigheid’ te doen (vgl. Catechismus van de Katholieke Kerk, n. 2278).

Die uitdrukking van Gods trouwe volk, van eenvoudige mensen: “Laat hem in vrede sterven”, “help hem in vrede te sterven”: hoe wijs!

Palliatieve zorg

De tweede overweging betreft de kwaliteit van de dood zelf, de kwaliteit van de pijn, van het lijden. Wij moeten dankbaar zijn voor alle hulp die de geneeskunde tracht te bieden, zodat via de zogenaamde palliatieve zorg ieder mens die op het punt staat het laatste stuk van zijn of haar leven te beleven, dit op de meest menselijke wijze kan doen.

We moeten echter oppassen dat we deze hulp niet verwarren met wat onaanvaardbare neigingen tot doden zijn. We moeten mensen begeleiden naar hun dood, maar niet de dood uitlokken of enige vorm van zelfdoding steunen.

Leven is een recht, niet de dood

Ik wil erop wijzen dat het recht van eenieder op zorg en behandeling altijd voorrang moet krijgen, zodat de zwaksten, met name ouderen en zieken, nooit aan hun lot worden overgelaten. Leven is een recht, niet de dood, die moet worden verwelkomd, niet toegediend.

En dit ethische principe gaat iedereen aan, niet alleen christenen of gelovigen. Ik wil hier de nadruk leggen op een sociaal, maar wel een reëel probleem. Dat ‘plannen’ – ik weet niet of dit het juiste woord is – maar het versnellen van de dood van ouderen. Vaak zien we in een bepaalde sociale klasse dat ouderen, omdat ze de middelen niet hebben, minder medicijnen krijgen dan ze nodig hebben, en dat is onmenselijk: het helpt hen niet, het drijft hen eerder naar de dood. En dit is noch menselijk, noch christelijk.

Schat van de mensheid

De ouderen moeten worden verzorgd als een schat van de mensheid: zij zijn onze wijsheid. Ook al spreken zij niet en hebben zij geen betekenis, toch zijn zij het symbool van menselijke wijsheid. Zij zijn degenen die ons zijn voorgegaan en ons zoveel moois, zoveel herinneringen, zoveel wijsheid hebben nagelaten.

Isoleer de ouderen alstublieft niet, bespoedig de dood van de ouderen niet. Het strelen van een bejaarde heeft dezelfde hoop als het strelen van een kind, want het begin en het einde van een leven is altijd een mysterie, een mysterie dat moet worden gerespecteerd, begeleid, verzorgd, bemind.

Gods barmhartigheid

Moge de heilige Jozef ons helpen het mysterie van de dood op de best mogelijke manier te beleven. Voor een christen is de goede dood een ervaring van Gods barmhartigheid, die ons zelfs in dat laatste ogenblik van ons leven nabij komt.

Zelfs in het Weesgegroet bidden we Onze Lieve Vrouw om ons nabij te zijn “in het uur van onze dood”. Juist daarom wil ik deze catechese afsluiten met samen tot Onze Lieve Vrouw te bidden voor de stervenden, voor hen die door deze donkere deur gaan, en voor familieleden die rouwen.

Bidden we samen: Wees gegroet Maria…

Overgenomen met toestemming van Katholiek Nieuwsblad.