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Skriven 2007-03-27 22:37:06 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

HEALTHCARE MINISTRY: EVANGELIZATION PAR EXCELLENCE

VATICAN CITY, MAR 22, 2007 (VIS) - Today in the Vatican , Benedict XVI received
participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Council for Health
Pastoral Care. The council is presided by Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan.

In his talk to them, the Pope affirmed that "health pastoral care is, in fact,
an evangelical field par excellence that immediately calls to mind the work of
Jesus, the Good Samaritan of humankind ... Who always accompanied His preaching
with the signs He worked upon the sick."

"The health of man, of all of man, was the sign that Jesus chose to express the
proximity of God and His merciful love that heals the spirit, the soul and the
body," said the Holy Father.

The Pope called on healthcare workers, in all their activities, to recollect
Christ, Who is presented by the Gospels as the "divine doctor," and he added:
"Helping human beings is a duty, both as a response to a fundamental right ...
and because the cure of individuals works for the benefit of the community as a
whole.

"Modern science progresses in as much as it accepts the constant discussion of
diagnoses and treatment methods, on the supposition that existing data and
supposed limits can be overcome," he added. "Moreover, respect for and faith in
healthcare workers is proportional to the conviction that these defenders of
life will never despise a human existence, however handicapped it may be, and
will always ... encourage attempts at a cure.

"The commitment to treatment must, then, be extended to all human beings. ...
This ethical perspective, based on the dignity of the human person and on the
fundamental rights and duties connected thereto, is confirmed and strengthened
by the commandment to love, the heart of the Christian message."

"Charity as a duty of the Church," said Pope Benedict, "has a particularly
significant application in the care of the sick. The history of the Church
bears witness to this with innumerable cases of men and women ... who have
worked in this field."

Benedict XVI completed his talk by recalling the importance of the Eucharist,
from which healthcare ministry can draw "the strength to help man effectively
and promote him in accordance with his dignity. ... The Eucharist, administered
decorously and prayerfully to the sick, is a vital lymph that comforts them and
gives their souls the interior light necessary to live their infirmity and
suffering with faith and hope."
AC/PLENARY/LOZANOVIS 070322 (420)

SUMMARY

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