Geneva, Switzerland, Jun 16, 2017 / 05:01 am
The Holy See's representative to the United Nations appealed Wednesday to the Human Rights Council to couple psychological treatment with spiritual care.
In response to a recent report on mental health issued by the council's special rapporteur, Archbishop Ivan Jurkovich agreed that the report "rightly promotes the adoption of an integrated bio-medical, psycho-social, and community-based delivery of mental health care."
"My Delegation also would like to point out the importance of spiritual care in helping persons living with, or affected by, mental health problems," he added in his June 14 statement.
Archbishop Jurkovich quoted the words of St. John Paul II: "Whoever suffers from mental illness 'always' bears God's image and likeness in themselves, as does every human being. In addition, they 'always' have the inalienable right not only to be considered as an image of God and therefore as a person, but also to be treated as such."