Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers

The Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers was set up by the Motu Proprio Dolentium Hominum of 11 February, 1985, by Pope John Paul II who reformed the Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers into its present form in 1988. It is part of the Roman Curia with Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán as its President. The apostolic constitution Pastor Bonus describes the work of the council as


 * ''Art. 152 — The Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers shows the solicitude of the Church for the sick by helping those who serve the sick and suffering, so that their apostolate of mercy may ever more effectively respond to people’s needs.


 * Art. 153 — § 1. The Council is to spread the Church’s teaching on the spiritual and moral aspects of illness as well as the meaning of human suffering''.

Its tasks also include coordinating the activities of different dicasteries of the Roman Curia as they relate to health care. The Pontifical Council explains and defends the teachings of the Church on health issues. The Council also follows and studies programs and initiatives of health care policy at both international and national levels, with the goal of extracting its relevance and implications for the pastoral care of the Church.

Composition
The pontifical council is composed of a president, Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán, a secretary, Fr. Jose Redrado Marchite, and an under-secretary, Fr. Felice Ruffini, besides a staff of 6 officials. The 36 members and 50 consultors, nominated by the pope, represent Curia dicasteries and organisations, the episcopacy and the laity.

The president, secretary and under-secretary participate in interdicasterial meetings as well as conferences and lectures related to the health care field.

List of President's of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Health Care Workers

 * Fiorenzo Cardinal Angelini (16 Feb 1985 - 31 Dec 1996)
 * Javier Cardinal Lozano Barragán (7 Jan 1997 - )