Vatican Announces the Theme for the 34th World Day of the Sick in 2026

Theme for the XXXIV World Day of the Sick 2026

"The Compassion of the Samaritan: Loving by Bearing the Pain of Another"

“The Compassion of the Samaritan: Loving by Bearing the Pain of Others” is the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the next World Day of the Sick.

The theme, focusing on the Gospel figure of the Samaritan who shows love by caring for the suffering man who has fallen into the hands of thieves, seeks to emphasize this aspect of love for one's neighbor: love requires concrete gestures of closeness, through which we take on the suffering of others, especially those living with illness, often in a context of fragility due to poverty, isolation, and loneliness.

Even today Jesus Christ, the “Good Samaritan”, approaches wounded humanity to pour out, through the sacraments of the Church, “the oil of consolation and the wine of hope” ( Preface “Jesus the Good Samaritan” ), thus inspiring actions and gestures of help and closeness for those who live in fragile conditions due to illness.

Theme for the XXXIV World Day of the Sick 2026

"The Compassion of the Samaritan: Loving by Bearing the Pain of Another"