The Holy See Press Office releases the theme for the 34th World Day of the Sick to be marked on 11 February 2026, “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing the pain of the other”.
Vatican News
“The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing the pain of the other” is the theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the next World Day of the Sick marked annually on 11 February. The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development released the theme on Friday 26 September through the Holy See Press Office.
The theme centers on the Gospel figure of the Samaritan, who demonstrates love by caring for the suffering man who fell in with robbers. It highlights a key dimension of love for one’s neighbor: love must be expressed through concrete acts of closeness, by taking on the suffering of others — especially those who are ill, and often also vulnerable due to poverty, isolation, or loneliness.
The Dicastery writes, in the information provided for the World Day, that “the World Day of the Sick, established by St. John Paul II in 1992, offers a privileged moment of prayer, spiritual closeness, and reflection for the entire Church and for civil society, who are all called to recognize the face of Christ in our sick and vulnerable brothers and sisters. Like the Good Samaritan that bent down to help the injured man along the road, the Christian community is also called to stop and help those who suffer and be evangelical witnesses of closeness and service to the sick and most vulnerable.”
