Pope visits hospice, speaks on patients' need for loving care
December 14, 2009
Pope Benedict XVI visited a hospice in Rome on December 13, and after speaking with patients, offered some reflections on the care for those who are terminally ill. Modern medicine has its limitations, the Pontiff said, and patients also need “concrete gestures of love, closeness and Christian solidarity in order to meet their need for understanding, comfort and constant encouragement.”
The Church has always recognized an obligation to provide both physical and spiritual care for the sick, the Pope continued. He assured the patients at the Sacred Heart Hospice that he would pray for them, and encourage others to pray as well.
The Pope also reminded the patients that their sufferings can bring them closer to Christ. Speaking especially to those close to death, he said: “In the light of faith we can see sickness and suffering as a special experience of Advent, a visit from God Who, in a mysterious way, comes out to meet us.”
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