We pray for health care workers who serve the sick and the elderly, especially in the poorest countries; may they be adequately supported by governments and local communities.

Pope Francis – April 2022

Let us pray this month for health care workers.
The pandemic has shown us the self-giving and generosity of health care workers, volunteers, support staff, priests, and religious men and women.
But the pandemic has also exposed the fact that not everyone has access to a good public healthcare system.
The poorest countries, the most vulnerable countries, cannot access the necessary treatments to treat the countless diseases they continue to suffer.
Often, this is due to poor resource management and a lack of serious political commitment.
Therefore, I want to ask the governments of all the countries of the world not to forget that good healthcare, accessible to all, is a priority.
But let us also remember that healthcare is not just an organization; it depends on men and women who dedicate their life to taking care of other people’s health. And who have given their lives during this pandemic to help so many sick people recover.
Let us pray for health care workers who serve the sick and the elderly, especially in the poorest countries; may they be adequately supported by governments and local communities.

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PRESS RELEASE

The Pope calls for support for health care workers

Press clipping

• The new Pope Video, which promulgates the prayer intentions which Pope Francis entrusts to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, is dedicated to health care workers.
• In the face of the difficulties that so many sick and elderly people face in order to have access to the treatments they need, the Pope is calling for serious political commitment to quality health care for all.
• Beyond the organizational aspect, Francis has reminded us that health care depends above all on “men and women who dedicate their life to taking care of other people’s health,” as we have seen during the pandemic. 

(Vatican City, April 5, 2022) – The Pope Video for April has just been released with the prayer intention that Francis is entrusting to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. This month, the Holy Father addresses the situation of health care in different countries and asks that “health care workers who serve the sick and the elderly, especially in the poorest countries” may “be adequately supported by governments and local communities.”

The pandemic stress test

The context of the pandemic has revealed the weaknesses of health care systems and the inequality of access to adequate treatment. In his message for April’s prayer intention, Francis says, “The pandemic has also exposed the fact that not everyone has access to a good public healthcare system. The poorest countries, the most vulnerable countries, cannot access the treatments necessary to attend to the countless diseases that they continue to suffer.” According to the “Health at a Glance 2021” by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the inadequate situation of health care has had an impact on the care received by the sick. Among the various contributing factors, the lack of health care workers has been more limiting than the number of hospital beds or technical equipment.

A massive effort throughout the world

In such a difficult situation, which has exacerbated existing emergencies, the dedication of health care workers in various projects throughout the world, presented through the images in this Pope Video, has played a decisive role: the “A Vaccine For Us” and “Mothers and Children First” campaigns of Doctors with Africa CUAMM; AVSI’s project in Uganda to bring pregnant women to the hospital on motorbikes; the work of the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God in various countries; the work of the Ministers of the Sick of St. Camillus in Thailand and of the Camillians in Brazil; the health facilities in Bangladesh and Peru of COE, Apurimac ETS, and the Villaregia Missionary Community, member organizations of the FOCSIV. The work of Dr. Erik Jennings Simões, who also appears in this video, deserves special mention. For twenty years he has been serving the native peoples of the Brazilian Amazon, where he brought the first neurosurgery service.

An appeal to governments

Nevertheless, this extraordinary effort cannot be the solution to ensure that everyone in the world has sufficient medical care. “I want to ask the governments of all the countries of the world not to forget that good healthcare, accessible to all, is a priority,” Francis says. If this has not happened yet, he adds, it is often due to “bad resource management and a lack of serious political commitment.”

Fr. Frédéric Fornos, S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, commented on this intention: “Pope Francis is always very attentive to people, to the sick, to the elderly, to the most vulnerable. This prayer intention for the entire month of April is dedicated to the health care workers who attend them. They have passed through crisis situations, often without adequate support, especially in countries with fewer resources. The pandemic has shown that health care systems and workers are essential for society. The Pope asks that they be supported with greater resources, especially in countries that have a fragile health care system; otherwise, we will experience ‘other pandemics.’ Let us entrust this prayer intention to the Lord and act take appropriate action.”

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Where can you watch the video?

• Official website of The Pope Video
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• The Pope Video on Instagram
• The Pope on Twitter @Pontifex
• The Pope on Instagram @Franciscus
• Read the Vatican News’ article

About The Pope Video

The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since the year 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 174 million views across all its social networks, and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries. The videos are produced and created by the team of The Pope Video of the Prayer Network, coordinated by Andrea Sarubbi, with the support of La Machi Communication for Good Causes agency. The project is supported by Vatican Media. More information at: The Pope Video

About the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network

The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network is a Vatican foundation, with the mission of mobilizing Catholics through prayer and action in response to the challenges facing humanity and the mission of the Church. These challenges are presented in the form of prayer intentions entrusted by the Pope to the entire Church. The foundation’s mission is inscribed in the dynamic of the Heart of Jesus, a mission of compassion for the world. It was founded in 1844 as the Apostleship of Prayer. It is present in 89 countries and is made up of more than 22 million Catholics. It includes a youth branch, the EYM: Eucharistic Youth Movement. In December 2020, the Pope constituted this pontifical work as a Vatican foundation and approved its new statutes. Its international director is Fr. Frédéric Fornos, SJ. For more information, visit: www.popesprayer.va 

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Health, Health care workers, Pandemic, Post-pandemic, Generosity of health care workers, Volunteers, Public health.