This morning, the Prefecture of the Papal Household, through a note from the Holy See Press Office, announced that on Friday, November 5, 2021 at 10:30 am, Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in the Rome campus of Sacred Heart Catholic University on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery.
“THE DIGNITY OF THE PATIENT COMES BEFORE PROFIT”
Pope Francis on Monday received a delegation from the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital of Rome, and told Catholic healthcare operators that, “every health care facility, especially those of Christian inspiration, should be a place where care for the person is practiced and where it can be said: ‘Here you see not only doctors and patients, but people who welcome and help each other: here you can experience the therapy of human dignity’.”
October 18 is the feast of St. Luke, patron saint of healthcare works and physicians.
(vaticannews.va) – Campus Bio-Medico was founded in 1993, inspired by Blessed Alvaro del Portillo, a Spanish bishop of the Opus Dei prelature. The Pope noted that Blessed del Portillo had encouraged them to put the patient before the disease, which, he said, is essential in every field of medicine and is fundamental for a treatment that is truly comprehensive and human.
Science and research
Pope Francis also underscored the importance of science and research in medicine, saying “care without science is vain, just as science without care is sterile.” Science and research together, he said, make medicine an art, that involves the head and heart, combining knowledge and compassion, professionalism and pity, competence and empathy.
The Pope thanked the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital delegation for favoring a humane development of research. He lamented the temptation to profit over the needs of the sick and the elderly in healthcare – needs that are constantly evolving with new diseases and inconveniences.
Francis commended the Campus for helping those who do not have the financial means to meet university expenses. He also mentioned its efforts including a Covid Center, the Emergency Room, and the Hospice.
Networking
The Holy Father emphasized that all these efforts must be done together, saying the pandemic has underscored the importance of connecting, collaborating and addressing common problems together. Catholic healthcare particularly needs to network. “Charity requires a gift: knowledge must be shared, competence must be shared, science must be shared,” he said.
Tackling root causes
Offering science and its products alone, he warned, will remain just band-aids capable of plugging the evil but will not help cure it in depth. This is true, for example, with vaccines, he said, adding, it is urgent to help countries that have less, but it must be done with farsighted plans and should not be motivated only by the haste of wealthy nations to be safer. “Remedies must be distributed with dignity, not as pitiful handouts.”
Pope Francis concluded by encouraging the Campus Bio-Medico University Hospital to continue on this path and be open to the inspirations and surprises of the Holy Spirit in its encounter with situations that require closeness and compassion.
Joan's Rome 