THE IDENTITY OF CATHOLIC HEALTH CARE INSTITUTIONS

VATICAN CITY, NOV 6, 2002 (VIS) - Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Pastoral, today in the Holy See Press Office presented the 17th international conference promoted by this dicastery. The theme this year is "The Identity of Catholic Health Care Institutions. The three-day meeting starts tomorrow in the New Synod Hall in he Vatican.

Archbishop Lozano recalled that the Catholic Church administers 6,038 hospitals, 17,189 ambulatories, 799 leprosariums, 13,238 centers for old people, the chronically ill and the handicapped, 8,711 orphanages, 10,368 child care centers, 10,565 marriage counselling centers, 18,789 specialized centers for education or social re-education and 25,257 centers for the health care ministry. All told, Catholic health care institutions throughout the world total 110,954.

Referring to the international conference, the council president noted that 34 specialists from different countries will examine the current situation of Catholic hospitals and the economic, social, political and cultural - and above all, religious - challenges they face in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The meetings will likewise include reports from the federations, associations and groups linked to Catholic institutions that work in the world of health care.

In the second part of this conference, the archbishop explained, there will be a debate on the moral, pastoral and theological principles that underpin Catholic hospitals, and an inter-religious dialogue with Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

Archbishop Lozano said that in the third part of the conference, participants will ask what they can do to improve the identity of Catholic hospitals and to perfect the economic, social, political, organizational and administrative aspects. In conclusion, the participants will offer solutions to better the International Association of Catholic Health Care Institutions and the Catholic religious aspect "because this is really the principal objective of our international conference."

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