In the chapel of the Sant’Orsola Polyclinic of Bologna, Archbishop Matteo Zuppi held an intense homily on the occasion of the patient’s day. His words resonate strongly at a time when the fragility of life is clearly manifested also in the figure of the Pope, hospitalized to continue his care. “A world like ours that enhances life and then considers it useless and meaningless because it is fragile, requires love, attention, resources to cure it and always defend it“Said Zuppi, highlighting a contradiction that today is reflected in the debate on health and human dignity. A reflection that finds an echo in the pontiff’s situationwhose illness is followed with apprehension by the faithful from all over the world.
Pope Francis, with his constant testimony of closeness to the sick, embodies those beatitudes that Zuppi recalled: «Blessed. You are and of a joy that nobody can take away. You are today, “he told the patients of the Emilian hospital. His same suffering, lived with an evangelical spirit, becomes a sign of hope and consolation.
The archbishop warned on the illusion of wealth as a refuge from fragility: “Wealth cannot console us when we clash with that fragility from which we thought about it protected». The Pope’s health of the Pope remind us that no one, not even Peter’s successor, is immune from human weakness. But precisely in this weakness the true strength of the Gospel is manifested: “Whoever is sick needs light in the dark, and of closeness in that mystery that gives the vertigo so impenetrable of life”.
The pontiff has often reiterated the value of care and proximity to the suffering: “The suffering of the sick can find relief in the proximity of people who visit them and in the affection they receive”. Today, in his illness, Pope Francis experiences that same consolation that he himself has always preached. The whole church, as Zuppi pointed out, must be “mother who never leaves alone, a sign of concrete hope”.
Archbishop recalled that true Christian hope is the certainty that, despite suffering and death, “life is not removed, but transformed”. A powerful message, which resonates strong while the Pope, with his infirmity, continues to testify to the importance of a love that does not abandon and that makes every existence precious.
Jesus himself, recalled Zuppi, lived and taught this perspective: «He cries and consoled. He does not cry over himself, he is not commensurate. Cries on others and for this reason it consoled». The disease can be a moment of pain, but also an opportunity to experience authentic closeness, a love that becomes concrete in the treatment. “The hospital is a real sharing place of sharing. We realize that we are ‘angels’ of hope ».
Finally, Zuppi underlined the need for a collective commitment to support the weakest: “The cure for them is a hymn to human dignity, a singing of hope that requires the chorality of the whole society”. A reference to everyone’s responsibility, so as not to leave anyone back, especially those who suffer.
The homily ended with a prayer of assignment to Mary: «Under your protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God». A plea that today becomes choral, combined with the desire to see Pope Francis restored in health and still safe driving for the Church. The disease can be a test, but in the Christian perspective it is also an opportunity for hope and renewed trust in the mystery of eternal life.
