Vatican City, Jul 1, 2012 / 10:50 am
Jesus Christ's miraculous healing of the daughter of Jairus and a woman who suffered from a hemorrhage should inspire healthcare workers to care for the entire person, physical and spiritual, Pope Benedict XVI said July 1.
"In this invaluable service, one must first be professionally competent – it is a primary, fundamental requirement – but this alone is not enough," said the Pope in his Sunday Angelus address.
"This service, in fact, is first and foremost about human beings who need humanity and heartfelt attention," he told thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter's Square beneath a baking Roman sun.
The Pope advocated that those who tend to the sick and elderly have a "formation of the heart" in addition to professional training. He described such workers as "reserves of love" who bring "peace and hope to the suffering."