The Pastoral Aspects of the Treatment of Infectious Diseases

23 - 24 - 25 November 2006

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The Apostolic Constitution 'Pastor Bonus' on the Roman Curia, (arts. 152-153) lays down that the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care expresses the care and concern of the Church for sick people and helps those who engage in service to the suffering so that the apostolate of mercy, which suffering people expect, responds in an increasingly effective way to new needs and requirements. It is thus the task of this dicastery of the Roman Curia to make known the teaching of the Church on the spiritual and moral aspects of illness and the meaning of human suffering.

After the approval by His Holiness Benedict XVI of the subject of the XXI international conference, namely 'Pastoral Aspects of the Treatment of Infectious Diseases', the aim of our study will be to make known the Magisterium of the Church as regards the spiritual and moral aspects of these diseases and express the care and concern of the Church for sick people. At the same time it is our intention to help health-care personnel, hospital chaplains, medical doctors, paramedics, nursing staff, health-care administrators, voluntary workers and all those who dedicate themselves to pastoral care in health in the world to understand better the spiritual and moral aspects of infectious diseases and to provide better care both to those sick people who are suffering and to those who look after them.

With these goals we will engage in our XXI international conference which, following previous practice, we will organise into three parts: Reality, Illumination and Action.

When talking about the reality of infectious diseases we will place that reality in its historical context and then consider what the principal infectious diseases of today are. We will then emphasise emerging infectious diseases and those that have re-emerged with today's globalisation. We will then go on to examine their origins at a personal level: human behaviour, lifestyles, food and diet, the weakening of the immunity system, demography, international contacts, and migrations; at a technological level: technological changes, industrial changes, and the variations and adaptations of bacteria; 'at a political level: the suspension of public health-care provisions, the weakening of health-care systems, war-connected events, and terrorism; and, lastly, at an ecological level: ecological changes, damage to the environment, and pollution of the environment and of water systems.

In order to illuminate this subject, we will pose the question: how should these diseases be approached from a Christian point of view? In the various answers that we will try to provide we will refer to Revelation as it is presented in Holy Scripture, to the Fathers and to the History of the Church, as well as to theological reflection. We will then pay especial attention to the witness of saints who dedicated their lives to the treatment of sick people who were afflicted by these pathologies and we will reflect on epidemics and Christian hope, on Christian responsibility and infectious diseases, as well as on its ethical aspects. in order to then broaden our discussion we will give rise to a brief dialogue with certain representatives of other religions. The points of view of Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and contemporary post-modernity will be expounded.

Lastly, in listing concrete actions to be taken, the question to which we will try to give an answer will be the following: what should we do? The answers to this question will be studied from the psychological-cultural point of view: education and upbringing, catechesis, education in the faith, the mass media, stigmatization; from the biomedical aspect: research, medicine, prevention, treatment, and accompanying; from the political-social point of view: national and international health-care policies, migrations, economic, scientific and technological resources, food and diet policy, and social hygiene; and from the point of view of the individual: the patient, the family, health-care professionals, the parish, diocese, religious orders, associations, voluntary workers, liturgical life and prayer.

As can be seen from the programme that we present, the speakers on the various subjects are highly qualified people who come from different parts of the world and provide valuable service to our Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care. In this way this dicastery can perform one of the many tasks referred to at the beginning of this presentation, namely to illuminate the world of health and illness with the Gospel so as to thereby provide a worthy testimony to the resurrection of the Lord, responding in this way to the fundamental questions about human existence and explaining the Christian meaning of suffering and health in line with the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church. In this way we will try to perform and develop the task of formation and study by offering pragmatic directions and following new developments in the scientific and legislative field that bear upon these infectious diseases (cf. The Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, Regulations, chap II, 2,a>).

His Eminence Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán,
President of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care,
the Holy See

Program

XXI INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

The Pastoral Aspects of the Treatment of Infectious Diseases
23 - 24 - 25 November 2006

Thursday, 23 November

9:00	GREETING
9:15	Prolusion: Infectious Diseases in the Light of the Word of God His Eminence Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán President of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See) Chairperson: Dr. Ms An Verlinde President of C.I.C.I.A.M.S. (International Committee of Nurses and Medico-Social Assistants (Belgium); Member of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
I. The Reality
10:00	1. The History of the Treatment of Infectious Diseases Antonio Carreras Panchón, M.D., Professor of History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Salamanca (Spain)
10:30	Break
2. The Principal Infectious Diseases Today:
11:00	Sexually Transmitted Diseases Maria Elena Pesaresi, M.D., Gynaecologist, Missionary in Zimbabwe.
11:20	Rare Emerging Diseases and Re-emerging Diseases Dr. Nicola Petrosillo Director II Division National Institute for Infective Diseases, “L. Spallanzani”, Rome (Italy)
11:40	Diseases and Globalisation Dr. Marco Raviglione, Director, Stop TB Department, the World Health Organization, Geneva (Switzerland)
3. The Origins of Infectious Diseases Today:
12:00	a. Personal Origins: Human Behaviour Lifestyle Diet Weakening of the Immune System Prof. Pedro A. Reyes López, Director of Research, Nacional Institute of Cardiology “Ignacio Chávez” (Mexico)
12:20	Demography International Contacts Migrations Dr. Riccardo Colasanti General Secretary of Caritas Internationalis, Rome (Italy)
12:40	b. Technological Origins: Technological Change Industrial Change The Modification and Adaptation of Microbes Rev. Fr. Jacques Simpré, M.I. Professor of Genetics, University of Ougadougu; Director of the Biomolecular Research Laboratory (Burkina Faso)
13:00	End of the Session
16:00	c. Political Origins: Interruption of Measures for Public Health Weakening of the Health-care System Events Connected with Wars or Terrorism Dr. Giuseppe Ippolito Scientific Director, National Institute for Infectious Diseases “L. Spallanzani”, Rome (Italy)
16:20	d. Ecological Origins: Ecological Change Maltreatment of the Environment Environmental Pollution Water Pollution Dr. Fernando Antezana Aranibar President of the Executive Council of WHO, Geneva (Switzerland); Consulter of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
II. What Should be Thought?
1. Revelation:
16:40	Infectious Diseases in Holy Scripture Rev. Fr. Agustinus Gianto S.J., Pro-Dean of the Faculty for Ancient Eastern Studies, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome (Italy)
17:10	Infectious Diseases and the Church Fathers Prof. Gabriel Marasco Professor of Roman History in the Faculty of Letters and Foreign Languages, University of Studies of Tuscia, Viterbo (Italy)
17:40	Break
18:00	Infectious Diseases in the History of the Church Rev. Fr. Fidel González Fernández, M.C.C.J., Professor at the Pontifical Urban and Gregorian University, Rome (Italy); Consulter of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and the Congregation for the Cause of Saints (The Holy See)
18:30	2. Reflection on Revelation:
	Faith, Charity and Infectious Diseases Rev. Fr. Wojciech Giertych, O.P., Theologian of the Pontifical House (The Holy See)
19:00	End of the Session

Friday, 24 November

	Chairperson: Dr. Fiorenza Deriu Social Researcher, Rome (Italy); Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
9:00	The Testimony of Saints Dedicated to the Treatment of Infectious Diseases Rev. Fr. Pascual Piles, O.H., Superior General of the Order of St. John of God; Member of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
9:30	Epidemics and Christian Hope Msgr. Tony Anatrella, Psychoanalyst and Specialist in Social Psychiatry, Paris (France); Consultor of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
10:00	Christian Responsibility and Infectious Diseases. Ethical Aspects Msgr. Ignacio Carrasco de Paula, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Life (The Holy See); Director, Institute of Bioethics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome (Italy)
11:00	Break
11:00	3. Inter-religious Dialogue and Infectious Diseases: The Points of View of: Judaism Prof. Abramo Alberto Piattelli, Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Rome; Professor of Post-Biblical Judaism, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome (Italy) Islam Rev. Fr. Justo Lacunza Balda, President of the Pontifical Institute of Arabica and Islamic Studies, Rome (Italy) Hinduism Prof. R. K. Mutatkar, Hon. Professor of Anthropology, School of Health Sciences, University of Pune (India) Buddhism Rev. Masahiro Tanaka M.D., Physician at “Medical Clinic Fumon-it”; Chief Priest at “Buddhist Temple Samyou-ji”, Mashiko (Japan)
12:00	Post-Modernity Rev. Fr. Ján Ďačok, S.J., Professor of Moral Theology and Ethics at the Faculty of Theology, University of Trnava (Slovakia)
III. What Should be Done?
The Pastoral Care of Infectious Diseases from:
12:15	1. The Cultural-Psychological Point of View: Education Catechesis H. E. Msgr. Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Social Science (The Holy See)
12:35	Education in Faith H. E. Msgr. Francisco Robles Ortega, Archbishop of Monterrey (Mexico)
13:00	End of the session
16:00	The Mass Media H. E. Msgr. John Patrick Foley, President of the Pontifical council of Social Communications (The Holy See)
16:20	Stigma Social and Economic Integration Prof. Gustavo P. Kourí, Director-Genaral, Institute of Tropical Medicine “P. Kourí”, Havana (Cuba); Vice-President, Cuban Red Cross
16h40	2. The Bio-Medical Point of View: Research Pharmaceuticals Prevention Alastair Benbow, M.D., Vice President of GSK Europe
17:00	Treatment Accompanying Rev. Fr. Fiorenzo Priuli, O.H., President of the health Commission, General Delegation “San Riccardo Pampuri”, Benin – Togo
17:20	3. The Political-Social Point of View: National and International Health-care Policies Migrations Economic, Scientific and Technological Resources Food and Diet Policies Social Hygiene His Eminence Cardinal Karl Lehmann, Archbishop of Mainz
17:40	Break
18:00	4. The Personal Point of View: The Patient The Family Health-care Workers Rev. Sr. Evelyne Franc, General Superior of the “Society of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de’ Paul”, Paris (France)
18:20	End of the Session

Saturday, 25 November

	Chairperson: Mrs. Lillian Fanjul de Azqueta Founder and Director of the “New Hope” Foundation, Palm Beach (U.S.A.)
9:00	The Parish The Diocese H. E. Msgr. Emilio Carlos Berlie Belaunzarán, Archbishop of Yucatán (Mexico)
9:20	Religious Orders Rev. Fr. Anthony Frank Monks, M.I., Superior General of “Camillian Fathers”, Rome; Member of the Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care (The Holy See)
9:40	Associations Mr. Francis Sullivan, Executive Director of the Catholic Health Association (Australia)
10:00	Volunteers Hon. Maria Pia Garavaglia, Vice Mayor of the City of Rome (Italy)
10:20	The Liturgical Life Rev. Fr. Juan Javier Flores Arcas, osb, President, Pontifical Institute of Liturgy, Sant’ Anselmo, Rome (Italy)
10:40	Prayer Rev. Fr. Armando Aufiero, President of the Centre for the Volunteers of Suffering, Rome (Italy)
11:00	Conclusion

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