In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
 

I greet Monsignor Bochatey, director of this Seminar on the Ethics of Health Management, and all the participants in the aforementioned seminar who wished to meet, under the aegis of the Pontifical Academy for Life, to discuss the ethics of healthcare, artificial intelligence, and technological and digital innovations.

However, as you approach the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul in the context of this Jubilee Year, your meeting not only has formative value, but also becomes a pilgrimage, in which reflection on the ethical value of our proposals becomes a good stage in the journey that, as a society and as a Church, we are called upon to travel. Today the Church welcomes you as pilgrims of hope, considering your different approaches, skills and intentions valuable in establishing a dialogue of life and action in the common task of caring for the sick.

Many interesting aspects emerge from the topics you address, perhaps too many to deal with together in this brief greeting; however, I would like to highlight a concept that they seem to have in common. I refer to the possibility of prejudice, the introduction of a condition, a premise, a note that falsifies, truncates, fraudulently excludes our perception of the reality of society and of the concrete sick person, creating a situation of injustice in the management of the resources necessary for the proper administration of health.

Although as individuals and as a society we are called upon to defend actively the unequivocal dignity of every human being, in all stages and facets of their existence, unfortunately, this does not always correspond to reality. Very effective tools such as artificial intelligence can be manipulated, instructed and guided so that, for reasons of expediency or interest, whether economic, political or otherwise, such prejudice, sometimes imperceptible, is generated in information, management and the way we present ourselves or approach others.

People will thus enter into a perverse manipulation that will classify them according to the treatments they need and their cost, the nature of their illnesses, transforming them into objects, data, statistics. I think the way to avoid this is to change our perspective, in perceiving the value of the good with a broad vision, in looking, if I may say so, as God looks, so as not to focus on immediate profit, but on what will be best for everyone, knowing how to be patient, generous and supportive, creating bonds and building bridges, working in networks, optimizing resources, so that everyone can feel they are protagonists and beneficiaries of the common work.

At the same time, God teaches us that this broad view must never be separated from the human relationship, from the touch, from the recognition that the real person, in his or her fragility and dignity. It is a profound vision, a vision that reaches the heart of the other and extends our own. These two visions will be the best antidote to ensure that our management structures do not lose sight of the most important thing: the good we are called upon to protect. May the Lord help us to be faithful in this service. Thank you very much.

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 17 November 2025