Vatican City, Oct 6, 2021 / 12:00 pm
Pope Francis has created a new foundation offering financial support to Catholic hospitals, the Vatican announced on Wednesday.
The pope established the foundation with a decree called a chirograph, the Holy See press office said on Oct. 6.
The document, dated Sept. 29, said that the pope had agreed to create the foundation for Catholic healthcare -- known in Italian as the Fondazione per la Sanità Cattolica -- in response to requests for “direct intervention” by the Vatican to help Catholic institutions.
Vatican News reported that the pope took the step in “the light of financial difficulties faced by a number of Catholic health facilities run by religious orders, who are sometimes forced to sell them.”