On November 14, in advance of the World Day of the Poor, Pope Leo inaugurated a new "work of mercy" in the Vatican. The San Martino Outpatient Clinic, located right under the colonnade of St. Peter, will expand healthcare services to the poor, notably including a radiology unit and psychiatry services.
Pilgrims walking around the colonnade of the Vatican see living arrangements for homeless people are in plain sight. Tents and other living materials make it clear that unhomed people are welcomed at the Holy See.
Ten years ago in 2015, Pope Francis opened the Mother of Mercy Clinic in advance of the Year of Mercy. The clinic, run by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity in collaboration with the Vatican health service, offers free medical services for people in need. The clinic does not require documentation to receive care, removing a significant obstacle for many. There are also showers and a free barber service nearby.
The San Martino Outpatient clinic is now located near the Mother of Mercy Clinic and will expand available services.
San Martino (St. Martin of Tours) is famous for having shared half of his cloak with a poor man, and is a patron of the poor.
The new radiology department has a next-generation x-ray machine that will enable doctors to make diagnoses that should allow patients to receive medical interventions earlier, hopefully resulting in better outcomes. This technology is of critical importance for a population of people who often do not have access to these sorts of diagnostic tools.
The two clinics will work hand in hand to provide services ranging from blood tests to dental care. Prescriptions written in the clinics can be fulfilled for free at the Vatican’s pharmacy.
Volunteer health professionals
According to Vatican News, the clinics are staffed by 120 doctors, nurses, and technicians, all of whom work on a volunteer basis. They report that 10,000 people from approximately 139 countries have received care in a Vatican clinic – that’s 102,060 medical services and 141,200 medications all for free for people who need it.
Pope Leo visited the new clinic privately to thank all those involved for its opening and ongoing service. By the time the Pope arrived on a Friday morning, the staff had already helped 65 people.
The opening of the San Martino clinic follows on the heels of the issuing of Pope Leo’s first encyclical Dilexi te, which emphasizes love of God leading to love of our neighbor.
Pope Leo XIV spoke of charitable works in this way last month, "I am a believer, a Catholic, and my logic is the logic of the Gospel. We truly help Jesus himself because He said He was naked, He was in prison, He was sick, and today we can say He was a refugee. We do all this for Him, who shows Himself through the different faces of the world."
