Pope Leo XIV says "we as individuals and as a society are called to actively defend the unequivocal dignity of every human being, in all stages" FULL TEXT
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To members of the Latin American Association of Private Health Systems (ALAMI) in the Vatican on Monday, Pope Leo XIV encouraged participants to maintain an ethical vision as technological innovation shape healthcare. The group is in Rome for its 9th Seminar on Ethics in Health Management, held under the Pontifical Academy for Life.
ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS LEO XIV
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE
"SEMINAR ON ETHICS IN HEALTH MANAGEMENT"
Clementine Hall on Monday, November 17, 2025
__________________In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
Thank you very much. Welcome, everyone. I greet Monsignor Bochatey, Director of this Seminar on Ethics in Health Management, and all the participants in this Seminar who have come together, under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy for Life , to discuss ethics in health, artificial intelligence, and technological and digital innovations.
However, as they approach the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul during this Jubilee Year , their encounter is not only formative but also becomes a pilgrimage. In this journey, reflection on the ethical value of our proposals becomes a beautiful stage of the path we, as a society and as a Church, are called to travel. Today, the Church welcomes them as pilgrims of hope, valuing their diverse approaches, skills, and purposes, to engage in a dialogue of life and action in the shared task of caring for the sick.
Many interesting aspects emerge from the topics you will address, perhaps too many to cover in this brief greeting. However, I would like to highlight a concept that I believe unites you all. I am referring to the possibility of bias, the introduction of a condition, a premise, a note that falsifies, truncates, or fraudulently excludes our perception of the reality of society and the specific patient, creating an unjust situation in the management of the resources necessary for the proper administration of healthcare.
While we as individuals and as a society are called to actively defend the unequivocal dignity of every human being, in all stages and facets of their existence, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Tools as effective as artificial intelligence can be manipulated, trained, and directed so that, for reasons of expediency or self-interest—be they economic, political, or otherwise—a bias, sometimes imperceptible, is generated in information, management, and the way we present ourselves or approach others.
People will thus fall into a perverse manipulation that will classify them according to the treatments they need and their cost, the nature of their illnesses, turning them into objects, data, statistics. I believe the way to avoid this lies in changing our perspective, in perceiving the value of good with a broad vision, in seeing, if you will, as God sees, so as not to focus on immediate profit, but on what will be best for everyone, knowing how to be patient, generous, and supportive, creating bonds and building bridges, to work collaboratively, to optimize resources, so that everyone can feel like protagonists and beneficiaries of the common work.
At the same time, God teaches us that this broad vision should never be separated from human interaction, from compassion, from recognizing the individual person in their fragility and dignity. It is a profound vision, one that reaches the heart of the other and expands our own. These two visions will be the best antidote to ensure that our management structures do not lose sight of what is truly important: the good we are called to safeguard. May the Lord help us to be faithful in this service. Thank you very much.
Translated from https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/17/0877/01567.html
TO THE PARTICIPANTS IN THE
"SEMINAR ON ETHICS IN HEALTH MANAGEMENT"
Clementine Hall on Monday, November 17, 2025
__________________In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.
Thank you very much. Welcome, everyone. I greet Monsignor Bochatey, Director of this Seminar on Ethics in Health Management, and all the participants in this Seminar who have come together, under the auspices of the Pontifical Academy for Life , to discuss ethics in health, artificial intelligence, and technological and digital innovations.
However, as they approach the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul during this Jubilee Year , their encounter is not only formative but also becomes a pilgrimage. In this journey, reflection on the ethical value of our proposals becomes a beautiful stage of the path we, as a society and as a Church, are called to travel. Today, the Church welcomes them as pilgrims of hope, valuing their diverse approaches, skills, and purposes, to engage in a dialogue of life and action in the shared task of caring for the sick.
Many interesting aspects emerge from the topics you will address, perhaps too many to cover in this brief greeting. However, I would like to highlight a concept that I believe unites you all. I am referring to the possibility of bias, the introduction of a condition, a premise, a note that falsifies, truncates, or fraudulently excludes our perception of the reality of society and the specific patient, creating an unjust situation in the management of the resources necessary for the proper administration of healthcare.
While we as individuals and as a society are called to actively defend the unequivocal dignity of every human being, in all stages and facets of their existence, unfortunately, this is not always the case. Tools as effective as artificial intelligence can be manipulated, trained, and directed so that, for reasons of expediency or self-interest—be they economic, political, or otherwise—a bias, sometimes imperceptible, is generated in information, management, and the way we present ourselves or approach others.
People will thus fall into a perverse manipulation that will classify them according to the treatments they need and their cost, the nature of their illnesses, turning them into objects, data, statistics. I believe the way to avoid this lies in changing our perspective, in perceiving the value of good with a broad vision, in seeing, if you will, as God sees, so as not to focus on immediate profit, but on what will be best for everyone, knowing how to be patient, generous, and supportive, creating bonds and building bridges, to work collaboratively, to optimize resources, so that everyone can feel like protagonists and beneficiaries of the common work.
At the same time, God teaches us that this broad vision should never be separated from human interaction, from compassion, from recognizing the individual person in their fragility and dignity. It is a profound vision, one that reaches the heart of the other and expands our own. These two visions will be the best antidote to ensure that our management structures do not lose sight of what is truly important: the good we are called to safeguard. May the Lord help us to be faithful in this service. Thank you very much.
Translated from https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2025/11/17/0877/01567.html
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