Proximity
“Let us not leave the sick alone!”, Pope Francis encouraged the 20,000 faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square today. “Let us not prevent them from finding relief, and ourselves from being enriched by this closeness to those who suffer”. According to Pope Francis, “hospitals today are real cathedrals of pain, where the power of compassionate and supportive charity is made visible”. “The sick often feel lonely”, the Pope denounced: “We cannot hide that, especially in our times, it is in sickness that one experiences the depth of solitude that runs through most of our lives”. “A visit can make a sick person feel less lonely, and some company is a good medicine!”, Pope Francis remarked. “A smile, a caress, or shaking hands are simple but very important gestures to those who feel lonely and abandoned. How many people dedicate their lives to visiting the sick in hospitals or in their homes!”, he went on to say: “Their volunteer work is priceless. And when they do it in the name of the Lord, then it also becomes an eloquent and effective expression of mercy”.
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