Pope Leo XIV urges compassion through the example of the Good Samaritan, calling the faithful to love by bearing others’ pain at the 2026 World Day of the Sick.
Newsroom (20/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) In anticipation of the 34th World Day of the Sick, Pope Leo XIV has issued an appeal to the global Catholic community to rediscover compassion rooted in love and solidarity. The Pope’s message, titled “The Compassion of the Samaritan: Loving by Bearing Another’s Pain,” was signed on January 13 and released on Tuesday ahead of the observance on February 11, to be solemnly celebrated in Chiclayo, Peru.
The Holy Father invites believers to turn once again to the parable of the Good Samaritan—a timeless symbol of mercy and tender care. In Luke’s Gospel, the Samaritan tends to a man beaten and abandoned on the roadside, embodying the neighborly love that transcends boundaries of class, creed, or distance. Pope Leo said this image “is always relevant and essential for rediscovering the beauty of charity and the social dimension of compassion,” urging that the faithful look toward the sick and suffering with renewed attention and affection.
Drawing inspiration from the late Pope Francis’ landmark encyclical Fratelli tutti, Pope Leo emphasized that true compassion does not end in individual acts. “Compassion and mercy,” he wrote, “are realized through relationships—with our brothers and sisters in need, with those who care for them, and ultimately with God, who gives us His love.”
The Gift of Encounter: Rediscovering Joy Through Closeness
At the heart of the Pope’s message lies the “gift of encounter,” summarized in three reflections: the joy of offering closeness and presence; the shared mission of caring for the sick; and being driven by love for God to encounter ourselves and our neighbor.
“When the Samaritan saw the wounded man, he did not pass by,” Pope Leo wrote. “He looked upon him with an open and attentive gaze—the very gaze of Jesus—which led him to act.”
He noted that authentic love is never passive. It moves outward, meeting others with empathy and determination. “Being a neighbor,” he explained, “is not determined by physical proximity, but by the decision to love.” For Christians, this act of love mirrors Christ Himself—the divine Samaritan who draws near to wounded humanity.
Acknowledging society’s relentless pace, where haste and indifference often block compassion, the Pope urged believers to rediscover joy through service. Slowing down, he suggested, allows space to perceive and respond to suffering in all its human and spiritual dimensions.
The Shared Mission of Caring for the Sick
Pope Leo XIV spoke with particular warmth of his years as a missionary and bishop in Peru. From intimate family caretakers to dedicated healthcare professionals, he observed countless witnesses to mercy—modern Samaritans who “stop along the way to draw near, heal, support, and accompany those in need.”
Such compassionate acts, he said, weave together a “network of relationships” that constitutes the Church’s living body. In this spirit, his recent Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te defines care for the sick not as a peripheral ministry but as “an authentic ecclesial action.”
Quoting Saint Cyprian, the Pope reflected that the measure of a society’s health is seen in its care for the suffering. “To be one in the One,” he wrote, “means recognizing that we are members of a single Body that brings the Lord’s compassion to the suffering of all people, each according to our own vocation.”
Love of God and Neighbor: A Living Commandment
Revisiting the Gospel’s central commandment—“You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself”—Pope Leo described this as the foundation for all authentic human relationships. “Love for our neighbor,” he reminded the faithful, “is the tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God. To serve one’s neighbor is to love God through deeds.”
He echoed Pope Benedict XVI’s belief that human worth is not found in isolation but in relationship—with others and with the divine. In this interdependence, the Pope sees the blueprint for genuine fraternity and healing across cultures and nations.
Prayer and Blessing: The Spirit of the Good Samaritan
Concluding his message, Pope Leo XIV prayed that humanity would embrace a “Samaritan spirit”—a way of living marked by fraternal love, mercy, and shared vulnerability. He invoked the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, inviting all to pray for those who suffer in body or spirit.
The Pope imparted his Apostolic Blessing to patients, their families, caregivers, and all participating in the World Day of the Sick. With a voice both pastoral and prophetic, he reminded the world that “the true remedy for humanity’s wounds is a style of life based on fraternal love, which has its root in love of God.”
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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