From Our Special Correspondence
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Nov 18: Archbishop of Bangalore Most Rev Dr Bernard Moras left for Rome to attend the International Conference of the 30th Pontifical Council for Health Workers being held from November 19 to 21.
The three-day conference of Health Pastoral Care is centered around the recent encyclical of Pope Francis “Laudato Si’’ and will have the Culture of Salus and Welcome at the Service of Man and Planet, says a press release from the public relations officer of the Archdiocese of Bangalore.
The Archbishop will be participating in the conference as the member of Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers.
Pope Benedict XVI had appointed the Archbishop as a member for this council.
This thirtieth edition of the international conference will be held a few days before the opening of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, which is dedicated specifically to the virtue which contemplates, amongst its highest expressions, specifically ‘bending down’ towards the sick person in order to comfort him or her, alleviate his or her suffering, and, if possible, to heal him or her.
This is a Diakonia of Charity, which has in the gospel figure of the Good Samaritan as an icon that is always of contemporary relevance, and in the health-care worker who lives his or her work as mission, a privileged actuation of baptism.
Experts at an international level from the five continents of the world, both Catholics and others, will make their contribution to the 2015 edition of the international conference, the press release said.
The papers of the experts being presented at the International Conference will allow an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach to the ecological problems highlighted in the encyclical, above all in relation to the problems connected with health, both for individuals and for societies and nations, not only in the most economically and technologically developed countries of the world but also, and above all else, as regards the most disadvantaged peoples and parts of populations.
The international conference will be inaugurated after a Holy Mass at the altar of the chair of St. Peter, presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.
Later in the morning, Pope Francis will receive all the participants at an audience.
This meeting with Pope Francis, a key moment, will certainly give to everyone a greater impetus in their commitment to serving the person and the environment.
It will also amount to a strengthening of that invitation, which the international conference also intends to relaunch, change, perfect or at least to improve the lifestyles of all in order to be able to work effectively in favour of the centrality of the human being, respecting the Creation: an appeal to commit ourselves to the utmost to replace the ‘discard culture’ with the ‘culture of care’.
Archbishop Moras is participating in this Conference over the last 13 years continuously based on the experience of working in the health field, especially as Director of Fr Muller hospital, Mangalore and Hospital Director at St John’s Medical College hospital Bangalore.
He has also served as Chairman of Health Commission of Catholic Bishops Conference of India.
Archbishop Moras is also the Chairman of Governing Board of St John’s National Academy of Health Science. At present he is the chairman of the Governing Council of St. John’s Medical College and College of Nursing and a member of Governing Board of St John’s.
During this meeting, the Archbishop will meet the Pope Francis and seek the blessings on the people of the Archdiocese in particular and of Karnataka in general especially forthcoming the Year of Mercy.