Cardinal Czerny: Gospel, Pope Leo call us to ‘real’ encounters with the sick
January 21, 2026
At a press conference presenting Pope Leo XIV’s message for the upcoming World Day of the Sick (video), Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, contrasted fleeting online encounters with the “real” encounters to which Christ and Pope Leo call us.
The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development said that “in our hyper-connected world, there has never been so much talk about isolation, loneliness, hopelessness. So, the importance of encounter: everyone needs ‘a listening ear,’ but the sick makes it so obvious, so tangible, so immediate.”
Cardinal Czerny explained:
Encounter needs to be real, not sentimental, fleeting, electronic. Real encounter is courageous, inclusive. So, responding to the sick puts the quality and truth of our relationships to the test. The Holy Father gives us the great example of the Good Samaritan, not to be admired but to be imitated, and the Message encourages us to do so.
Cardinal Czerny was joined by three others who shared their experiences of ministry to the sick: Father Michel Daubanes, rector of the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes; Dr. Giulia Civitelli, a physician (and lay Scalabrinian) responsible for the Caritas clinic in Rome; and Marina Melone, whose parish-based Casa Gelsomino in Rome assists families of children admitted to Bambino Gesù Hospital.
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