By Lisa Zengarini
As the Church marks the 33rd World Day of the Sick, on Feb 11, the Chair of the Irish Bishops’ Conference Council for Healthcare has reiterated that human dignity must remain at the core of healthcare practices.
“Upholding the dignity and rights of each person is essential in healthcare,” remarked Bishop Michael Router, in a statement in which he expresses concern over the gradual erosion of this principle in Ireland.
Suffering is not an isolated journey
Welcoming Pope Francis’ recent message for the observance of the Day, the Auxiliary Bishop of Armagh highlights the Jubilee theme of hope as a sustaining force in times of suffering.
Pope Francis – he explains – calls for a renewed perspective on illness: not as an isolated struggle “but as an opportunity to encounter God, to receive His gifts, and to share His love with others.”
The presence of caregivers, medical professionals, family members, or friends, says Bishop Router, is a tangible expression of that love showing that “suffering is not an isolated journey but one that unites us in faith, love, and solidarity.”
Upholding human dignity from conception to natural death
The Pope’s call, Bishop Router remarks, implies the need to advocate for a healthcare system that never loses sight of the human dignity of the person “from conception to natural death”. A system not merely “concerned with economics and with scientific advancements” which only sees the patient as a condition to be treated, but where the sick is treated as a whole person with emotional and spiritual needs as well. This is why faith, family and community, must also be factored into the care of the sick.
While acknowledging recent policy proposals aimed at improving healthcare in Ireland, the message notes the principle of upholding human dignity has been eroded over the past decade, namely with the liberalization of abortion after the 2018 referendum, which has led to the deaths of over 30,000 unborn children.
End of life
Bishop Router also warns against the recent discussions around assisted suicide, a move, he argues, that would compromise the foundational medical principle of “Do no harm” and threaten a healthcare system that should instead prioritize compassionate, ethical solutions like palliative care.
Concluding, Bishop Router invites the faithful to reflect on the challenge of Pope Francis to find hope in suffering and to become instruments of God’s comfort, “bringing light, in any way we can, to those who need it most.”
The World Day of the Sick
The World Day of the Sick is observed each year on Feb 11, the liturgical commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lourdes, with an especially solemn celebration taking place every three years at a Marian shrine.
However, in view of the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis has chosen to delay for one year the solemn celebration that would normally occur in 2025. The solemn commemoration of the World Day of the Sick will now take place in 2026, at the Marian Sanctuary of the Virgin of Chapi of Arequipa in Peru. – Vatican News
