Universal health coverage is not a luxury but ‘a moral imperative,’ pope says

VATICAN CITY (Vatican News) — Universal health coverage is not “merely a technical goal to be achieved” but is a “moral imperative,” Pope Leo XIV told participants at a conference on health equity.

“It is primarily a moral imperative for societies that wish to call themselves just” and also to prevent injustice from becoming a cause of conflict, the pope said in a private audience at the Vatican March 18 with attendees at a conference titled “Today who is my neighbor?” organized by the Council of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, the World Health Organization (European Region) and the Italian Episcopal Conference.

The audience came the same day as the release of the second “WHO European Health Equity Status Report.” The document “draws attention to the situations faced by many poor and isolated people in Europe,” the pope said.

Inequalities in the field of health care are growing in many European nations, Pope Leo noted, while also calling for urgent attention to people’s mental health, particularly that of young people.

“Healthcare must be accessible to the most vulnerable, not only because their dignity requires it but also to prevent injustice from becoming a cause of conflict,” he said. It is “an essential condition for social peace,” he said.

After having reflected on passages from the Gospel, from the Book of Genesis, from St. Augustine’s writings and from Pope Francis’ encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” Pope Leo said, “Distance, distraction and desensitization to the sight of violence and the suffering of others lead us toward indifference. Yet all men and women, especially Christians, are called to fix their gaze on those who suffer: on the pain of the lonely, on those who, for various reasons, are marginalized and considered ‘outcasts.’ For without them, we cannot build just societies founded on the human person.”

Only together, he continued, “can we build communities of solidarity capable of caring for everyone, in which wellbeing and peace can flourish for the benefit of all.”

“Caring for the humanity of others helps us to live our own lives to the full,” he said.

The pope reaffirmed that the Church’s role is always at the “service of the advancement of humanity and of universal fraternity.”

He said that the Churches in Europe and throughout the world, in cooperation with international organizations, can “play a decisive role today in combating inequalities in healthcare, particularly in support of the most vulnerable populations.”

And finally, he appealed to Christians to ensure “our Christian lifestyle will always reflect this fraternal, ‘Samaritan’ spirit — one that is welcoming, courageous, committed and supportive, rooted in our union with God and our faith in Jesus Christ.”

Vatican News is the official multimedia news portal of the Holy See. This story was first published by Vatican News and is distributed in partnership with OSV News.

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