Pope Leo’s address to the staff and patients of the
“Jean Pierre Olie” psychiatric hospital, Equatorial Guinea
Tuesday, 21 April 2026
“God loves us just as we are
but he does not intend for us to stay that way!“
_____________________________
Mr. Director General,
Distinguished authorities,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am deeply grateful for your warm welcome and hospitality, singing and dancing.
Thank you very much!
Whenever I visit a hospital, nursing home or residence for people who may have various illnesses or challenges, I have mixed feelings.
On the one hand, I feel the pain or sadness of those people with various illnesses or challenges, I have
mixed feelings.
Sometimes their wounds are visible; other times, they have wounds that no one sees but that they know they carry in their hearts and lives.
I feel sorrow for the families who often do not know how to support their loved ones.
On the other hand, I admire and am comforted by all that is done there each day to serve human life.
I feel the same way here; but today I find — and I hope the same is true for you — that joy and hope prevail.
It is the joy of coming together in the name of the Lord and the hope that comes from caring for those in poor health.
I was moved by some of the words that I just heard.
The director said: “A truly great society is not one that hides its weaknesses, but one that surrounds them with love.” Yes, that is true.
It’s a principle of a civilization with Christian roots, because, throughout history, Christ came to redeem and restore the dignity of those with disabilities.
However, the Savior cannot save us without our cooperation on personal and social levels.
Therefore, he asks us to love our brothers and sisters in both words and deeds.
With God’s help and everyone’s commitment, a facility such as this can become a sign of the civilization of love.
Mr. Pedro Celestino concluded with a touching remark: “Thank you for loving us just as we are.”
I say, thank you for bearing witness!
Your presence here is a sign that genuine love exists in this place.
God loves us just as we are,
In reality, only God completely loves us as we are.
However he does not intend for us to stay that way!
God does not want us to always be sick or in pain forever;
he wants us to be healthy!
God wants to heal us.
God wants to grant us the grace to heal the wounds that we carry.
This is evident in the Gospel time and again.
Jesus came to love us just as we are.
Yet he does not want us to stay that way, but rather he wants to care for us!
A hospital, especially one with a Christian mission, is a place where people are welcomed as they are and respected in their frailty.
There, they can receive help to get better according to a holistic vision.
This spiritual dimension is essential, and I was pleased that the director emphasized it.
Finally, thank you to Mr. Tarcisio for his poem!
I would like to say that in an environment such as this, many hidden “poems” are composed every day, perhaps not with words, but with small gestures, with thoughtfulness and kindness in your relationships with one another.
Only God knows how to read this poem in its entirety, and it consoles the merciful Heart of Christ.
Dear friends,
Please convey my closeness to all the patients in the hospital, especially those who are seriously ill and alone.
I cordially impart my blessing to each of you—patients, healthcare workers, and staff—entrusting you to the protection of Mary, Health of the Sick.
Thank you very much.
Footnote:
Tarcisio Cervera is a rehabilitated patient who was welcomed back into society after receiving care at the hospital.
In his poem, he praised the Pope’s “meekness and humble empathy,” stating that the Pope “drives away all evil and gives strength to the soul”.
Pope Leo response is in the address above.
“It is a poem that only God knows how to read in its entirety and that consoles the merciful Heart of Christ“.
