Pope Leo XIV Tells the Sick "God wants to give us this grace to help us heal the wounds we carry.” FULL TEXT at Psychiatric Hospital
A warm welcome of dance and song greeted Pope Leo XIV at the Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
VISIT TO THE WORKERS AND PATIENTS OF THE “JEAN PIERRE OLIE” PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL
Full Text - ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER Pope Leo XIV
Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital (Malabo)
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
_____________________________
Mr. Director General, distinguished authorities,
dear brothers and sisters:
I sincerely thank you for this welcome, your hospitality, your songs, your dances. Thank you so much!
Every time I visit a hospital, a home, or a residence where people may have various illnesses or difficulties, I experience two distinct feelings: on the one hand, I feel the pain and sadness of those who are suffering; who often carry immense pain. Sometimes their wounds are visible, and sometimes they are wounds that no one sees, but that the person knows they carry in their heart, in their life. I feel sorrow for the families who often don't know how to support and care for the patient.
But I feel admiration and comfort for all that is done there daily to serve human life. This also happens to me here, but today, within me—and I hope within all of you as well—joy and hope prevail; the joy of gathering in the name of the Lord , the joy and hope of knowing that we are caring for those who live in vulnerable conditions.
Some of the words I've heard recently have moved me.
The Director said, “A truly great society is not one that hides its weaknesses, but one that surrounds them with love.” Yes, that is right. This is a principle of civilization with Christian roots, for it was Christ who, in the history of humanity, rescued disability from its curse and restored it to its full dignity. But the Savior neither wants to nor can save us without our cooperation, both personally and socially. For this reason, He asks us to love our brothers and sisters not just in word, but in deed. A care center like this can become, with God’s help and everyone’s commitment, a sign of the civilization of love.
Mr. Pedro Celestino concluded with a moving expression: “Thank you for loving us just as we are.” I say, thank you for your testimony! Thank you all for being here bearing witness, a sign that here, in this place, there is genuine love.
God loves us just as we are. Only God truly loves us completely as we are. But not to leave us as we are! No, God doesn't want us to always be sick, always in pain; He wants us to be healthy! God wants us to be healthy. God wants to give us this grace to help us heal the wounds we carry.
This is often seen in the Gospel: Jesus came to love us as we are, not to leave us that way, but to care for us. And a hospital, especially one inspired by Christian values, is precisely that: a place where people are welcomed as they are, respected in their vulnerability, but helped to improve their lives, with a holistic approach. For this, the spiritual dimension is essential; I was very pleased that the Director emphasized this.
In closing, thank you to Mr. Tarcisio for his poetry. I would like to say that in an environment like this, many hidden “poems” are composed every day, perhaps not with words, but with small gestures, with feelings, with attention to the relationships among you. It is a poem that only God can fully read and that consoles the merciful Heart of Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to convey my closeness to all the sick in the hospital, especially the most seriously ill and those suffering the most from loneliness. To each of you—the patients, the medical staff, and all the other employees—I wholeheartedly impart my blessing, entrusting you to the protection of Mary, Health of the Sick. Thank you very much.
Full Text - ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER Pope Leo XIV
Jean Pierre Olie Psychiatric Hospital (Malabo)
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
_____________________________
Mr. Director General, distinguished authorities,
dear brothers and sisters:
I sincerely thank you for this welcome, your hospitality, your songs, your dances. Thank you so much!
Every time I visit a hospital, a home, or a residence where people may have various illnesses or difficulties, I experience two distinct feelings: on the one hand, I feel the pain and sadness of those who are suffering; who often carry immense pain. Sometimes their wounds are visible, and sometimes they are wounds that no one sees, but that the person knows they carry in their heart, in their life. I feel sorrow for the families who often don't know how to support and care for the patient.
But I feel admiration and comfort for all that is done there daily to serve human life. This also happens to me here, but today, within me—and I hope within all of you as well—joy and hope prevail; the joy of gathering in the name of the Lord , the joy and hope of knowing that we are caring for those who live in vulnerable conditions.
Some of the words I've heard recently have moved me.
The Director said, “A truly great society is not one that hides its weaknesses, but one that surrounds them with love.” Yes, that is right. This is a principle of civilization with Christian roots, for it was Christ who, in the history of humanity, rescued disability from its curse and restored it to its full dignity. But the Savior neither wants to nor can save us without our cooperation, both personally and socially. For this reason, He asks us to love our brothers and sisters not just in word, but in deed. A care center like this can become, with God’s help and everyone’s commitment, a sign of the civilization of love.
Mr. Pedro Celestino concluded with a moving expression: “Thank you for loving us just as we are.” I say, thank you for your testimony! Thank you all for being here bearing witness, a sign that here, in this place, there is genuine love.
God loves us just as we are. Only God truly loves us completely as we are. But not to leave us as we are! No, God doesn't want us to always be sick, always in pain; He wants us to be healthy! God wants us to be healthy. God wants to give us this grace to help us heal the wounds we carry.
This is often seen in the Gospel: Jesus came to love us as we are, not to leave us that way, but to care for us. And a hospital, especially one inspired by Christian values, is precisely that: a place where people are welcomed as they are, respected in their vulnerability, but helped to improve their lives, with a holistic approach. For this, the spiritual dimension is essential; I was very pleased that the Director emphasized this.
In closing, thank you to Mr. Tarcisio for his poetry. I would like to say that in an environment like this, many hidden “poems” are composed every day, perhaps not with words, but with small gestures, with feelings, with attention to the relationships among you. It is a poem that only God can fully read and that consoles the merciful Heart of Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to convey my closeness to all the sick in the hospital, especially the most seriously ill and those suffering the most from loneliness. To each of you—the patients, the medical staff, and all the other employees—I wholeheartedly impart my blessing, entrusting you to the protection of Mary, Health of the Sick. Thank you very much.
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