His Holiness Pope Francis' February Prayer Intention: For the Terminally Ill

His Holiness Pope Francis releases his Prayer intention for the month of February 2024, and invites everyone to pray for the terminally ill and their families.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

His Holiness Pope Francis' monthly Prayer intention this February is for the terminally ill and their families.

The Pope invited the Church to pray for this intention in this month's The Pope Video, which is entrusted to the entire Catholic Church through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.

This month's Video comes during the month in which the Church observes the liturgical memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, 11 February, on which the World Day of the Sick takes place.

His Holiness Pope Francis explains that “when some people talk about terminal illnesses, there are two words they often confuse: incurable and un-'carable.' But they are not the same.”

Caring even if cannot cure

He cites his predecessor Pope St. John Paul II, in saying, "Cure if it is possible; always take care.”

The images from The Pope Video for February exemplify situations showing love and tenderness for the terminally ill, and depending on how they are interpreted, depict a series of failures or successes, the failures being "if the only acceptable outcome is a cure," and successes instead being "if the objective is the care of the patient."

His Holiness Pope Francis explains clearly that even when little chance for a cure exists, “every sick person has the right to medical, psychological, spiritual and human assistance.”

“Healing," he acknowledges, "is not always possible, but we can always care for the sick person, caress them.”

Guarantee of closeness and support

Reflecting on the importance of palliative care, His Holiness Pope Francis reaffirms that such care “guarantees the patient not only medical attention," but also "human assistance and closeness.”

Meanwhile, when speaking about the role of the family, he underscores that those suffering “should not be left alone in these difficult moments."

The role of the family "is decisive,"  the Pope said, stressing relatives "need access to adequate means so as to provide appropriate physical, spiritual and social support.”

His Holiness Pope Francis concludes by asking for prayers and a commitment from everyone so that “the terminally ill and their families always receive the necessary medical and human care and assistance.”

The Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network

The Pope Video is an official global initiative with the purpose of disseminating the Holy Father's monthly prayer intentions. It is carried out by the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (Apostleship of Prayer). Since 2016, The Pope Video has had more than 203 million views across all the Vatican’s social networks and is translated into more than 23 languages, receiving press coverage in 114 countries…

This report was originally published on the website of Vatican News. Please click here to read the full text.