Every Feb. 11 is World Day of the Sick. This year Pope Francis launched an appeal to make a relationship of trust a fundamental part of caring for the sick.
ROBERTO TOMAINO
Chaplain, Soveria Mannelli Hospital
“It's something that can never be imposed. We normally start by building a relationship of trust with the people around us, with those who are present, with those who are sincere and don't interact with us out of pity. It's that gaze that knows how to understand and respect suffering and struggles, of someone who knows how to quietly accompany the sick.”
Roberto Tomaino is the chaplain at the Soveria Mannelli Hospital in Calabria, an Italian region whose healthcare system was especially hard-hit by the pandemic because of corruption.
He says that for Christians, “the sick person is Christ.” He explains how fear and uncertainty took over his community when Italy went into lockdown on March 8, 2020.
He found the courage to make himself present to those who most suffered during the pandemic when he saw the example of how medical personnel treated the sick, in a healthcare system struggling with corruption.
ROBERTO TOMAINO
Chaplain, Soveria Mannelli Hospital
“I remember the hours of intense suffering that some of the elderly in one residential care home experienced after testing positive for Covid-19. I call them 'survivors.' After recovering in our hospital, they said they were happy to have survived the war as young kids and now the pandemic as older people.”
He joined the ranks of many other priests who have been spreading the Gospel message on social media. During Holy Week he spearheaded this impressive procession, which people watched from their balconies and windows.
ROBERTO TOMAINO
Chaplain, Soveria Mannelli Hospital
“As a hospital chaplain, I've learned that what patients are most afraid of isn't the illness itself, but having to face that illness alone. I've seen many people face all kinds of diseases, and the ones who pull through are often those who are not alone. I believe a Christian's task is not so much to try to understand the reason for illness, but to simply accompany those who suffer.”
For Fr. Roberto, the desire to bring hope to those who suffer must be accompanied by a willingness to give one's own life and a refusal to accept life's great injustices.
Daniel Díaz Vizzi
Translation: CT
