World Day of the Sick in Chiclayo, Peru

The celebration was held on 9-11 February 2026.

The 34th World Day of the Sick, entitled “The compassion of the Samaritan: loving by bearing another’s pain,” was solemnly celebrated in the diocese of Chiclayo, Peru, from 9-11 February 2026.

For the occasion, Pope Leo XIV appointed his special envoy Cardinal Michael Czerny S.J., Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD).

This ecclesial event was attended by the Apostolic Nuncio to Peru, Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri, the bishops and/or delegates for pastoral health care of the 22 Episcopal Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean, along with representatives of the 46 ecclesiastical jurisdictions of Peru and with a delegation from the Holy See, made up of the secretary of Cardinal Czerny, Fr. Joseph Savarimuthu, and the officials of the DPIHD; the priest Patrick Sarlat and the journalist Mercedes De La Torre.

World Day of the Sick Program in Chiclayo

On 9 February, the Vatican delegation led by Cardinal Czerny visited three hospitals: the Palliative Care and Emergency Unit at Hospital Almanzor Aguinaga Asenjo, the Internal Medicine Service of Hospital Las Mercedes, and the patients of the Internal Medicine and Emergency Departments of Hospital Belén in Lambayeque.

During the visits to these hospitals, there were many very moving moments thanks to the encounters with many patients, several of them very ill. Cardinal Czerny brought the closeness and blessing of the Holy Father. The delegation of the Holy See was also able to meet many representatives of the health personnel (doctors, nurses, and many volunteers in both the pastoral and social sectors) to converse about the challenges they face. The papal envoy thanked them for their commitment and said that he was convinced that “their work is not only a profession, but an authentic service to life and human dignity.”

“Thanks for your commitment in favor of the integral care of the sick – of the body, mind, and spirit – because this is a shared responsibility that honors the society when it is exercised with justice and humanity” pointed out Cardinal Czerny, who hoped that this World Day of the Sick would “renew in all people the certainty that caring, accompanying and healing – when it is possible – are privileged ways to announce the Gospel of Life.”

Afterwards, the Prefect of the DPIHD participated in a meeting at the Catholic University of Santo Toribio (USAT) with the bishops and delegates of the pastoral care for health of the Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America and the Caribbean present.

📣 Los obispos y delegados de la pastoral de salud dialogaron en un encuentro fraterno con el enviado del Santo Padre para la Jornada Mundial del Enfermo, Card. Michael Czerny, acompañado por el Obispo de Chiclayo y otros prelados de Perú 🤝https://t.co/8xKtN7MGGQ pic.twitter.com/kFR8ZIgDYS
— Desarrollo Humano Integral (@vaticanIHD_ES) February 10, 2026

On the next day, 10 February, an academic-theological-pastoral seminar was held entitled: “The compassion of the Samaritan, advances in palliative care in Latin America and the spirituality of integral patient care.”

The symposium for study and reflection, which was held in the theater of the Colegio Santo Toribio de Mogrovejo, featured presentations by the Bishop of Cliclayo, Mons. Edison Farfán, O.S.A., the General Secretary of CELAM, Mons. Lizardo Estrada, the prefect of the DPIHD, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., and the following: Dr. Luis Solari de la Fuente, Dr. Luz María Loo Palomino de Li, and Father Alejandro Álvarez Gallegos.

At the conclusion of the Symposium, Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., along with Mons. Edison Farfán, O.S.A, presided at a session with the press and granted interviews with the journalists accredited to the World Day of the Sick (WDS). At this meeting was also present the Apostolic Nuncio in Peru, Mons. Paolo Rocco Gualtieri.

The Bishop of Chiclayo recalled that the main objective of the WDS was “to sensitize the civil society and healthcare institutions to the necessity of assuring the best assistance possible to the sick, centering attention on integral assistance (physical, affective and spiritual), the dignity of the person and solidarity, promoting the service to those who are suffering.”

“Due to the state of health of the persons and their complexity, this part of the day was more intimate and personal,” highlighted Mons. Farfán, who said that in the hospitals Cardinal Michael Czerny “was able to touch the reality, and to each person he gave words of encouragement and companionship: patients, health care workers, volunteers, and ecclesial collaborators.”

In the afternoon, all the delegates to the WDS traveled to the nearby city of Eten, still in the Diocese of Chiclayo, where they experienced many gestures of authentic popular religiosity. On his arrival, Cardinal Czerny was received with great kindness by the numerous inhabitants of the population who accompanied him in procession. The many Bishops and priests concelebrated a Mass in the church of Mary Magdalene, listened to the telling of the story of the Eucharistic Miracle that occurred in 1649, and shared a fraternal moment with traditional music, dancing, and food.

Finally, on 11 February, a Eucharistic celebration was held at the Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Paz at 9:00 a.m. (local time), presided over by Cardinal Michael Czerny and concelebrated by the Apostolic Nuncio to Peru, Archbishop Paolo Rocco Gualtieri; the Bishop of Chiclayo, Bishop Edinson Farfán, O.S.A.; the Secretary General of CELAM, Archbishop Lizardo Estrada, and the bishops and delegates of the Episcopal Conference of Peru and invited countries.

The Holy Mass, transmitted in five languages by Vatican Media along with numerous television and radio stations in the world, included hundreds of persons facing delicate health situations, who received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

On the occasion of the World Day of the Sick, the Apostolic Penitentiary granted a plenary indulgence to the faithful who took part in the celebration – personally or through the means of communications – according to the usual prescribed conditions.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Celebration, the official delegation visited privately the Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de la Paz y San José de Chiclayo, a place that the then-Bishop of the place, Mons. Robert Prevost, visited on several occasions. In the more than half an hour shared with the religious women in the cloister, they were able to exchange experiences, among other themes, of what life is like inside a monastery, the work that the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development performs, and some of the challenges faced by the universal Church. The personnel of the Nunciature and the Vatican delegation received artisanal biscuits made by the cloistered sisters and assured their prayers for all the intentions that had been shared.

Finally, before leaving Chiclayo, the Jesuit House “Santa María” shared a fraternal moment with the papal delegate, the Apostolic Nuncio in Peru, the local Bishop, and those who accompanied them, in which Cardinal Czerny carried on a spontaneous dialogue and answered questions of those present who had traveled from different parts of northern Peru.

In addition, the delegation was able to hear musical pieces played by the Symphonic Orchestra of Chiclayo and to see precious traditional Peruvian dances, such as the marinera, which were interpreted by ballerinas, among them, a pair of talented children.