On this “Mercy Friday” marking the Year of Mercy, Francis paid a visit to the neonatal intensive care unit at Rome’s San Giovanni hospital. After this, he made his way to the Hospice Hope Villa at the city’s Gemelli Hospital.
They saw him approaching, wearing a surgical mask - a standard precaution in aseptic environments such as the one the Pope was entering. Just days after the canonization of Mother Teresa, who did so much to safeguard and promote life, this afternoon Pope Francis paid his customary “Mercy Friday” visit to a structure which shares this very same mission.
The Pope’s first visit was to the emergency and neonatal intensive care units at the San Giovanni hospital in Rome, where there are currently 12 children with a range of neonatal conditions being treated. Five of the children (two of them twins) are in critical condition and have been intubated in intensive care. On the top floor of the unit there is a nursery where other children are hospitalized.
There were a lot of surprised faces as the Pope made his unexpected entry. Startled staff welcomed the Pope who had to wear a surgical mask just like everyone else, taking all the necessary hygiene precautions required in aseptic environments. Francis stopped at each incubator, personally greeting the parents present, “comforting and encouraging them”, a statement issued by the Vatican Press Office informs.
The Pope then went on to visit the Hospice Hope Villa where 30 terminally ill patients are hospitalised. The structure belongs to the Gemelli Foundation of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Via della Pineta Sacchetti in Rome. Upon his arrival, the Pope – who asked to greet each of the patients in their respective rooms – was welcomed by the hospital’s heads. The Pope’s visit was a huge surprise for patients and relatives alike, who were moved to tears by his presence, great big smiles lighting up their faces.
“This Mercy Friday, the Pope wanted to give a strong sign of the importance of life, from its first instant to its natural end. The acceptance of life and the guarantee of human dignity in all stages of development is repeatedly stressed in Pope Francis’ teaching. With this dual visit, he has given concrete and tangible confirmation of how fundamental it is - as part of our works of mercy - to show attention to those in the most vulnerable and precarious of situations.”
