Pope Francis Tells Fishermen "fishing becomes a school of life" - "Jesus uses it as a symbol to indicate the vocation of the apostles: "I will make you fishers of men"
Pope Francis met in the Vatican with Italian fishermen and participants in a conference on public health systems and noted the importance of teamwork and solidarity both in the fishing and healthcare professions. About 5,200 representatives of Italian fishermen and participants in an international conference in Rome on public health systems in Europe gathered on Nov. 23rd in the Paul VI Hall for an audience with Pope Francis.
TO FISHERMEN FROM VARIOUS ITALIAN NAVIES
AND TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONFERENCE
"UNIVERSALITY AND SUSTAINABILITY OF NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICES IN EUROPE"
Paul VI Hall on Saturday, 23 November 2024
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning, welcome!
I greet my brother Bishops present, the leaders of the Apostleship of the Sea in Italy, the representatives of fishermen, the trade associations and the trade unions; and I greet the participants in the international conference Universality and sustainability of National Health Services in Europe, held yesterday at the Lateran University.
I address you first, dear brothers and sisters of the world of the sea, a few days before World Fisheries Day. Your activity is very ancient; The beginnings of the Church are also linked to it, entrusted by Christ to Peter, who was a fisherman in Galilee (see Luke 5:1-11). Nonetheless, it is experiencing various difficulties today. I would therefore like to suggest some reflections on the value of what you do and on the mission that this value entails.
In the Gospel, fishermen embody important attitudes. For example, perseverance in toil: the disciples are described as "tired from rowing" (Mark 6:48) because of the contrary wind, or even tried by failure, while tired they return to land empty-handed, saying: "We have toiled all night and have caught nothing" (Luke 5:5). And it is precisely so: yours is hard work, which requires sacrifice and tenacity, in the face of both the usual challenges and new urgent problems, such as the difficult generational turnover, the costs that continue to grow, the suffocating bureaucracy, the unfair competition of large multinationals. This does not discourage you, however, but rather nourishes another characteristic of yours: unity. You don't go out to sea alone. To cast the nets you need to work together, as a crew, or better yet as a community in which, despite the diversity of roles, the success of each person's work depends on everyone's contribution. In this way, fishing becomes a school of life, to the point that Jesus uses it as a symbol to indicate the vocation of the apostles: "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mk 1:17).
Dear women and men, you of the sea, may your Patron Saint, Saint Francis of Paola, also help you from Heaven.
And now I turn to you, brothers and sisters of the world of Health. The theme you addressed in your conference raises the question of what is the health condition of the National Services and Systems in Europe. Yours is also a mission that requires effort and requires knowing how to work together, as a team. However, I would like to invite you to focus on two further aspects of your experience.
The first aspect is that of taking care of those who provide care. It is indeed important not to forget that you healthcare workers are people who are just as in need of support as the brothers and sisters you care for. The fatigue of exhausting shifts, the worries you carry in your hearts and the pain you collect from your patients require comfort, require healing. For this reason I recommend that you do not neglect yourselves, but rather that you become each other's guardians; and I tell everyone that it is important to recognize your generosity and reciprocate it, guaranteeing you respect, esteem and help.
The second aspect that I would like to emphasize is compassion for the least. In fact, if, as we have said, no one is so self-sufficient as not to need care, it follows that no one can be marginalized to the point of not being able to be treated. The systems and healthcare services from which you come have, in this sense, a great history of sensitivity behind them, especially towards those who are not reached by the "system", towards the "discarded". Let us think of the work of many religious Saints who for centuries have founded hospices for the sick and pilgrims; or to figures such as Saint John of God, Saint Joseph Moscati, Saint Teresa of Calcutta: all were true “clinicians”, that is, men and women bent over the bed of those who suffer, as the etymology of the term suggests. The invitation I make to you, then, is to animate health systems from within, so that no one is abandoned (see Message for the XXXII World Day of the Sick, 10 January 2024). The Gospel, which teaches us not to hide our talents but to make them bear fruit for the good of all (see Mt 25:14-30), also tells us to have, in doing so, a way of preferential treatment for those who, having fallen, lie abandoned on the street (see Lk 10:30-37). The Latin language has forged, in this regard, a beautiful word: consolation, con-solatio, which indicates being united “in solitude, which then is no longer solitude” (Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Spe salvi, 39). Here is the way: to be united in solitude so that no one is alone in pain. And that is where closeness comes in, always.
Dearest, I see many families among you. I would like to conclude by reminding everyone of the importance of the family, the cell of society. It is fundamental for both your professions. First of all for the sacrifices that your family members share with you, adapting to the demanding schedules and rhythms of your work, which is not only a profession, but an “art”, and therefore involves the whole person and his environment. Then for the support that your family members give you in your toil and often in the activity itself. Please protect your family relationships: they are “medicine”, both for the healthy and the sick. Isolation and individualism, in fact, open the doors to the loss of hope, and this makes the soul sick, and often the body too.
So, good work to everyone and may Our Lady accompany you. I bless you from the bottom of my heart. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, November 2024 - Image Screenshot Vatican Media
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