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Pope Leo XIV has chosen the theme for the 34th World Day of the Sick, which will be celebrated on February 11, 2026: “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing the pain of the other.”

The theme of the World Day of the Sick, focusing on the Gospel figure of the Samaritan who shows love by caring for the suffering man who fell into the hands of thieves, highlights this aspect of love of neighbor: love needs concrete gestures of closeness, through which we enter into the suffering of others, those who are ill, especially those who at the same time experience poverty, isolation, and loneliness .

Established by St. John Paul II in 1992, The World Day of the Sick, is 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.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                *From the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development