Vatican Media
“It is desirable that, on the one hand, there is no lack of strengthening the health system for the protection of mental illness, also by supporting the organizations involved in scientific research on these pathologies, and on the other hand, associations and voluntary work that they place next to the sick and their families ”. Pope Francis writes it in message to participants in the second national mental health conference, promoted by the Italian Ministry of Health on the theme: “For community mental health”, starting today in Rome.
Expressing “the esteem of the Church and my staff for the doctors and health workers involved in this delicate field”, the Pontiff highlights that “their commitment to meeting the conditions of those suffering from mental disorders, offering them appropriate therapies, is a great good for people and for society “. The Pope’s attention is directed to the “sensitivity that accompanies their fragility”, in the awareness that they “have felt the devastating psychological effects of the pandemic with particular gravity”. “It is so important to involve the vital context in which the patient finds himself, so that he does not lack the warmth and affection of a community. The same medical professionalism benefits from the integral care of the person “. In the words of Francis, a direct message: “Taking care of others is not just a qualified job, but a real mission, which is fully realized when scientific knowledge meets the fullness of humanity and is translated into the tenderness that knows how to approach and take to heart the others “.
The hope is that of “a renewed sensitivity towards those suffering from mental health problems, to instill greater trust in many of our brothers and sisters marked by fragility”. “It is also a question of favoring the full overcoming of the stigma with which mental illness has often been branded and, in general, of making the culture of the community prevail over the throwaway mentality”. A mentality according to which – the Pope concludes – “greater care and attention are given to those who bring productive advantages to society, forgetting that those who suffer make the irrepressible beauty of human dignity shine in their wounded lives”.