Rome, Italy, Apr 12, 2019 / 10:30 am
Pope Francis paid a surprise visit to a center for Alzhiemer's patients Friday afternoon.
With this visit to the Emmanuel Village on the outskirts of Rome, the pope desired to turn attention to the exclusion and loneliness Alzhiemer's disease can bring to patients and family members, who are often forgotten by society, according to a Vatican statement April 12.
"The continual increase in life expectancy also calls for greater awareness and respect for the needs and dignity of those who live this disease on themselves and those who are close to the patient," the statement continued.
The afternoon excursion was the latest of Pope Francis' Mercy Friday visits. The pastoral initiative was originally linked to the Church's Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, but the pope has chosen to continue the practice as an example of the corporal works of mercy.