Pope’s World Day of the Sick Message Calls for Compassionate Love Through Action

Vatican City, Jan 21, 2026: Pope Leo XIV has called on the faithful to rediscover compassionate love expressed through concrete acts of care, as he released his message for the World Day of the Sick 2026, to be observed on February 11.

Signed on January 13 and made public on Tuesday, the Pope’s message is themed “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another's pain.” The Church will mark the Day next month in Chiclayo, with a special focus on charity, solidarity, and closeness to those who are sick and suffering.

Reflecting on the Gospel of St. Luke, the Holy Father recalled Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, in which a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is beaten by robbers and left half-dead. While a priest and a Levite pass by, a Samaritan stops, tends the wounded man’s injuries, brings him to an inn, and ensures his care. The Pope said this Gospel image remains a powerful model of authentic Christian love.

Pope Leo explained that his reflection is inspired by Fratelli tutti, the 2020 encyclical of the late Pope Francis on human fraternity and social friendship. He noted that compassion and mercy are lived through relationships—with those who suffer, with those who care for them, and ultimately with God, the source of all love.

The message is structured around three dimensions of encounter: the joy of offering closeness and presence; the shared mission of caring for the sick; and the call to encounter oneself and one’s neighbour through love of God. Referring to the Samaritan’s response, the Pope observed that he did not “pass by” the wounded man but looked upon him with an attentive and open gaze—“the very gaze of Jesus”—which moved him to action.

Emphasising that love is never passive, Pope Leo said true compassion involves reaching out to others. “We recognise Christ as the Good Samaritan who has brought us eternal salvation,” he said, adding that believers make Christ present whenever they care for a wounded brother or sister.

Addressing the modern “culture of discard and indifference,” the Pope noted that it is precisely within such a context that the joy of helping others can be rediscovered. Compassion, he said, “springs from within and leads to a committed response to another’s suffering.”

Drawing from his missionary experience as a bishop in Peru, Pope Leo spoke of witnessing countless expressions of mercy lived in the spirit of the Samaritan and the innkeeper—by family members, neighbours, healthcare professionals, and pastoral workers. By offering what they have, he said, they give compassion a social dimension.

Quoting Saint Cyprian, the Pope recalled that care for the sick remains “a measure of a society’s health.” Reflecting on the double commandment of love, he stressed that love of neighbour is the tangible proof of genuine love for God, noting that “to serve one’s neighbour is to love God through deeds.”

“The true remedy for humanity’s wounds,” the Holy Father said, “is a style of life rooted in fraternal love, which has its source in love of God.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV entrusted the sick and all who care for them to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Health of the Sick, offering a prayer seeking her maternal protection and guidance. He also imparted his Apostolic Blessing to all who are ill, their families, healthcare and pastoral workers, and everyone participating in the World Day of the Sick celebrations worldwide.