Los Angeles, Calif., Nov 2, 2016 / 12:26 pm
Faithful Catholics need to be aware of the ever-increasing serious threats to Christians living their faith in the field of medicine, warned Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles.
Noting the annual White Mass for health care professionals in the archdiocese, which was held at the cathedral Oct. 23, the archbishop reflected in his weekly column on the history of Christians in medicine.
"Before Christianity, the healing arts were practiced by self-taught individuals who traveled from town to town," he said. "Christians invented the hospital and were the first to establish medicine as a profession, with standards for training and care and a commitment to medical research."
From the very beginning, Archbishop Gomez said, Christian doctors served all patients that came to them, including those of different religions, social statuses and people with highly contagious diseases.