Academy for Life: Leo XIV denounces health inequalities

Leo XIV spoke out against the “enormous inequalities” that exist in the world in terms of health and life expectancy as he welcomed participants to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life on February 16, 2026. He called for an approach that takes into account the many factors influencing health and gives priority to the “common good.” In his speech, the pope also condemned the destruction of hospitals in countries in conflict.

On Monday morning, for the first time in his pontificate, the Pope officially met with the approximately 160 members — or “academicians” — of the Academy for Life. Pope St. John Paul II created this body in 1994 to defend the value of human life and the dignity of the person. The entity, currently chaired by Monsignor Renzo Pegoraro, is meeting in Rome these days on the theme “Health for All: Sustainability and Equity.”

Today's world is “scarred by conflicts, which consume enormous economic, technological and organizational resources in the production of arms and other types of military equipment.” In this context, the head of the Catholic Church highlighted the urgency of dedicating “time, people and expertise to safeguarding life and health.” He condemned the destructive impact of war on hospitals, which he described as “the most grave attacks that human hands can make against life and public health.”

In his speech, the Pope emphasized the “interdependence” between the health of all and individual health, recalling that the COVID-19 pandemic had demonstrated this “even harshly at times.” Health is influenced “by a combination of factors, which need to be examined and confronted in their complexity,” he added.

The American-Peruvian pontiff denounced “enormous inequalities” in life expectancy and quality of health, particularly according to “income level, the level of education attained, and the neighborhood in which one lives.” To assert “that life and health are equally fundamental values for all” is “hypocritical” if one ignores “the structural causes and policies that determine inequalities,” he said.

“Questions of health touch upon every aspect of life,” said Leo XIV, referring in particular to the environment and the “ecological factors” involved in this area. He went on to say, “Human life is incomprehensible and unsustainable without other creatures.”

In his speech, the 267th pope spoke at length about promoting the common good, so that it is not compromised “under the pressure of specific individual or national interests.” He called for a focus “not ‘on immediate profit, but on what will be best for everyone,’” expressing his desire for a culture “capable of uniting efficiency, solidarity, and justice.”

This common good is maintained through “the fostering of close relationships between people” and through an attitude of “care and support,” he explained, and pointed out that the experience of illness is one of “vulnerability,” common to all human beings. Only in this way, according to Leo XIV, will health systems be “more effective and sustainable” and “capable of satisfying every health need in a world of limited resources.”

The pope recommended applying the same vision to cooperation between supranational organizations involved in protecting and promoting health. Throughout his speech, he also called for “restoring trust in medicine and healthcare professionals” by overcoming “any misinformation or skepticism regarding science.”

This message of promoting equal care for the health and life of all corresponds to the objective of the Pontifical Academy for Life. As enunciated in its statues (PDF), it seeks “the defense and promotion of the value of human life and of the dignity of the person.” To achieve this, the Academy is responsible for studying the problems connected with this goal from an interdisciplinary approach. It must also form people in a culture of life, and make known the results of its studies and investigation not just to Church leaders, but also to the public in general through the media.

In the motu proprio Vitae Mysterium, with which he founded the Academy in 1994, John Paul II mentions the need to go deeper into every possible realm of knowledge at the service of human life. He specifically refers to bioethics and law, but this broad foundational mandate — echoed in the current version of the statues — offers a horizon open to any relevant study.

Consequently, the Academy deals with topics as wide-ranging as the identity and status of the human embryo, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, editing the human genome, palliative care, and the environment.