Vatican City, Jan 29, 2006 / 22:00 pm
On Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI called for greater care and attention to a disease thought by many to be nearly extinct--leprosy.
The 53rd World Day of Leprosy, held Sunday, was themed, "Lord, if You will, you can make me clean." It was first initiated by Raoul Follereau and, as the Pope pointed out, continues to be celebrated today, thanks to "associations that draw inspiration from his humanitarian work."
During his Sunday Angelus, Benedict addressed special greetings to those suffering from the disease and encouraged "the missionaries, health care workers, and volunteers committed on this frontier in the service of mankind."
"Leprosy”, he said, “is a symptom of a more serious and widespread evil: poverty. For this reason, following the footsteps of my predecessors, I renew the appeal to leaders of nations to unite their efforts in order to overcome the grave imbalances that still penalize a large part of humanity."
For the occasion, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, prepared a message addressed to presidents of national episcopal conferences and to bishops in charge of pastoral health care ministry.