For the World Day of the Sick, the Maronite Archbishop of Beirut, Mgr Boulos Abdel Sater, visited the patients of the Hôtel-Dieu de France, accompanied by the chairman of the board of directors of the HDF, Prof. Salim Daccache s.j. before presiding the mass concelebrated with priests of the hospital, in the presence of the General Director of the HDF Mr. Nassib Nasr, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University of Beirut, Prof. Roland Tomb and the members of the administrative body as well as nurses and doctors.

After the Gospel reading, Mgr. Abdel Sater delivered a touching homely concerning this occasion:

“First of all, I would like to thank the hospital administration for inviting me to celebrate the Eucharist and to participate in the prayer on the occasion of the World Day of the Sick. The hospital is a sacred place as it witnesses the pain of many people who endure and bear their suffering with hope and faith. It is an honor for me to be present today in this sacred place where so many saints glorify the Lord through their faith in a time of hardship and difficulty.

I would also like to thank the hospital's board of directors for inviting me to share this moment with you, doctors, nurses and members of the administrative council. You bear the pain of your suffering brothers and sisters and try, through your sacrifices, your experience and all the graces that the good Lord has granted you, to alleviate them in order to lead a better life.

We rarely make the sign of the cross when passing by a hospital, as our ancestors used to do when walking by a shrine or a church. The hospital is, after all, a place of life and a place of love where doctors mobilize all their energy and abilities to give life by the grace of God, and employees are committed to serving and caring for the sick, motivated by love. Brothers and sisters, your first role is to do what Jesus Christ did when he "...bore our sufferings and infirmities..." so that you may bear the sufferings and infirmities of the patients you care for. God values your love and presence with your patients before any medical achievement you might attain, despite its importance. I thank you wholeheartedly for your sacrifices and your willingness to be messengers of love despite the many difficulties and challenges that you encounter on a daily basis in your personal and professional life. You are the living proof of God's presence and love in the life of each patient.”