From the balcony of the Gemelli Polyclinic, Pope Francis he gave a further sign of Christian style, thinking, more than of himself, of the people, of the sick and asking social policies that ensure a free health system and accessible to all. And where this service already exists, as in Italy, Francis asked to keep it as a precious good at the service of all the sick.
To recite the Angelus and explain the Sunday Gospel from the hospital where he has been hospitalized for a week, the pope was not satisfied with a window, but he preferred a small balcony on the seventh floor to look out not alone, but with two children under treatment in the Gemelli hospital. A true pope of the people, he has surprised commonplaces, also critically touching on the relationship he expects from the Church in the management of hospitals: not a way of making money, but of serving the sick for free.
In short, Francesco used the ten minutes (it lasted so long) of the Angelus to shuffle the cards and send messages of solidarity and responsibility to politics and the Church. As a true advocate for the sick and the disabled, with whom he found himself sharing a hospitalization for an operation of a certain commitment to the intestine. As soon as he appeared on the balcony, pale in the face, he showed signs of unexpected vitality, indeed he even became animated when he improvised some passionate expressions on the health facilities run by the Church.
But here are the salient passages of a reflection on health and disease that will remain emblematic for the future, precisely because it is pronounced by the patient himself.
“In these days of hospitalization, I have once again experienced how much it is a good health service, accessible to all, is important, as is the case in Italy and other countries. A free health service, which ensures a good service accessible to all. This precious asset must not be lost. We must keep it! And for this we must all commit ourselves, because it serves everyone and asks for everyone’s contribution. Even in the Church it sometimes happens that some health institution, due to bad management, is not doing well economically, and the first thought that comes to us is to sell it. But the vocation, in the Church, is not having money, is to do the service, and the service is always free. Don’t forget this: save free institutions ”.
And then his thanks for the service received and a reflection on the mystery of the suffering of children. “I want to express my appreciation and encouragement to the doctors and all health care professionals and staff of this hospital and other hospitals. They work hard! And we pray for all the sick. Here are some sick child friends… Why do children suffer? Why do children suffer is a question that touches the heart. Accompany them with prayer and pray for all the sick, especially for those in more difficult conditions: no one is left alone, everyone may receive the anointing of listening, closeness, tenderness, and care ”.
In one of the letters sent to him by sick children, we read the deep affection of a child: “Dear Pope Francis, hear my prayer. I felt yours when I was sick ”. And the pope dedicated important Christian words to the mystery of prayer and the human meaning of illness: “I thank you all: I felt your closeness and the support of your prayers. Thank you so much! The Gospel that we read today in the Liturgy narrates that the disciples of Jesus, sent by him, “anointed many sick with oil and healed them” (Mk 6:13). This “oil” also makes us think of the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which gives comfort to the spirit and body. But this “oil” is also listening, closeness, concern, tenderness of those who take care of the sick person: it is like a caress that makes you feel better, soothes the pain and lifts. All of us, all of us, sooner or later need this “anointing” of closeness and tenderness, and we can all give it to someone else, with a visit, a phone call, an outstretched hand to those in need of help. Let us remember that, in the protocol of the final judgment – Matthew 25 – one of the things they will ask of us will be closeness to the sick ”.
After the Angelus, a quick look at some world emergencies: Haiti and its crisis, the feast of St. Benedict, patron of Europe: “Best wishes to Europe, which is united in its founding values”. And the sea, on the Sunday dedicated to seafarers: “I urge all to take care of the oceans and seas. Taking care of the health of the seas: no plastic in the sea! “.
Definitely a pope on the exit ramp from the hospital to return to the ordinary occupations of a summer month – July – which Francis usually does not dedicate to holidays but keeps free from public commitments and manages outside the protocol. Perhaps he will return to a Vatican by Tuesday at the latest that next July 27 will celebrate a world premiere of the singular trial for financial events and plots that have shaken the Church.
Francesco still holds the bar fully straight but his health, called to a severe hospital service, raises the question of the after. Without unnecessary speculation, because at the moment no one knows the pope will decide in a similar way to Benedict XVI, to renounce the pontificate, should the physical condition no longer allow full pastoral exercise. We only know that Francis has already expressed his thoughts. In a recent interview book he answered as he imagined his death: “As Pope, in office or emeritus. And here, in Rome. I’m not going back to Argentina ”. There is all Francis as a farsighted pope but with clear ideas. At the right time there will certainly be rules to regulate any waiver for health reasons.