Vatican News
Bishops, pastoral workers, mental health professionals and people with lived experience of mental illness will gather in Rome on Oct 9–10 for “A Healing Presence: The Church’s Call to Mental Health Ministry.” The meeting coincides with World Mental Health Day and Pope Leo XIV’s October prayer intention, which calls for mental health ministry to be established throughout the Church and for stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses to be overcome.
Organised by the International Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, in collaboration with the Don Luigi Di Liegro International Foundation and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the gathering is held under the patronage of the Pontifical Academy for Life. Participants will include bishops, pastoral workers, academic experts and people with lived experience of mental illness.
The programme opens on Friday at the Complesso del Gesù with discussions on “Stigma, Welcome, and Safe Spaces” and “Caregivers, Bridges, and Integration,” followed by Mass at the Church of the Gesù.
On Saturday, participants will visit the Don Luigi Di Liegro Foundation to learn about its mental health initiatives, consider the situation of young people in Italy and hear testimonies from caregivers and patients.
A press conference on Saturday afternoon will focus on putting Pope Leo XIV’s vision for mental health ministry into practice. Bishops from Ukraine, South Africa, India, Ethiopia and Haiti will share experiences of mental health ministry in their local Churches.
The gathering will also present two new video courses on Basic Mental Health Literacy and Psychological First Aid, which the organisers will make available free of charge to dioceses, parishes and interested media organisations.
The event will conclude with the Rosary at the Lourdes Grotto in the Vatican Gardens. – Vatican News
