Dear brothers and sisters, good morning. Ṣabāḥ al-khayr (Good morning)!

Thank you for your warm welcome. Shukrán (Thank you)!

I am happy to be here with you.  I wanted to come because Jesus dwells in this place: in you who are ill, and in you who care for the ailing — the Sisters, the doctors, all the healthcare workers and staff.  Above all, I would like to greet you warmly and assure you that you are in my heart and in my prayers.  Thank you for the beautiful hymn you sang!  Thank you to the choir and the composers: it is truly a message of hope!

This hospital was founded by Blessed Father Jacques, Père Yaacuba, tireless apostle of charity who is remembered for the holiness of life that he showed especially through his love for the poorest and the suffering.  The Franciscan Sisters of the Cross, whom he founded, continue his mission and carry out an invaluable service.  Thank you, dear Sisters, for the work you carry out with such joy and dedication!

I also wish to greet the entire hospital staff with sincere gratitude.  Your skilled and compassionate presence and your care for the sick, are a tangible sign of the merciful love of Christ.  You are like the Good Samaritan, who stops beside the wounded man and cares for him, lifting him up and tending to his wounds.  At times, you may experience fatigue or discouragement, especially given the challenging conditions in which you often work.  I encourage you not to lose the joy of this mission.  Despite the difficulties, keep before your eyes the good you are able to accomplish.  In God’s eyes, it is a great work!

What is lived in this place stands as a clear reminder to all — to your country, but also to the whole human family.  We cannot forget those who are most fragile.  We cannot conceive of a society that races ahead at full speed clinging to the false myths of wellbeing, while at the same time ignoring so many situations of poverty and vulnerability.  Particularly as Christians, as the Church of the Lord Jesus, we are called to care for the poor.  The Gospel itself asks this of us, and we must not forget that the cry of the poor, echoed throughout Scripture, challenges us.  “On the wounded faces of the poor, we see the suffering of the innocent and, therefore, the suffering of Christ himself” (Leo XIV Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te, 9).

Dear brothers and sisters who are burdened by illness, I would like to remind you that you are close to the heart of God our Father.  He holds you in the palm of his hand; he accompanies you with love; and he offers you his tenderness through the hands and smiles of those who care for you.  To each of you, the Lord says again today: I love you, I care for you, you are my child.  Never forget this.

Thank you all. Shukrán! Allah ma‘akum (Thank you, and may God be with you)!