THE president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers, Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski, visited two health care facilities in Perth on April 19.
Having first visited St John of God Hospital in Subiaco, the Archbishop then surveyed the residential aged care facilities operated by Mercy Care in Wembley.
Archbishop Zimowski, who speaks only limited English, distributed holy cards to elderly residents and gave them each a blessing.
He reminded the residents that Pope John Paul II, who established the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers in 1985, had a great love for the elderly.
The Archbishop encouraged residents to read Pope John Paul II’s 1999 letter addressed to the elderly, adding that it is “important to think positive” when individuals face illness or physical trials.
“We are suffering, we have bad days sometimes, but the Lord Jesus Christ is with us,” Archbishop Zimowski said.
“He suffered for us, He died for us, but He rose again.”
Archbishop Zimowski will use the information gathered from his visit to prepare a report on health care in Australia that he will deliver to Pope Francis later this year.