Bambino Gesù Hospital to celebrate 100th anniversary with Pope Francis

By Sr Francine-Marie Cooper

In a press release issued on Thursday, the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital informed journalists of the upcoming audience with Pope Francis on Saturday, March 16.

The hospital explained that the hearing takes place on the occasion of “the 100th anniversary of the donation of the hospital to the Holy See by the Salviati family, who founded it in 1869.”

The hospital was offered to the Holy See on February 20, 1924.

“The Bambino Gesù pediatric hospital, the first Italian hospital entirely dedicated to children, has become 'the Pope's hospital' for everyone,” notes the press release.

Furthermore, he highlighted that “the Janiculum Hill Hospital is now a leading academic center for pediatric research and care in Europe.”

The hospital now provides care at 6 locations in and around Rome, “offering 627 beds and managing approximately 95,000 emergency department visits, 30,000 hospitalizations, more than 32,000 surgical and interventional procedures and 2.5 million outpatient services per year “.

The press release describes how the hospital also helps many children born abroad, particularly in war-torn countries.

“Each year, more than 300 patients are welcomed for humanitarian reasons by the Hospital, which also participates in international cooperation projects in 18 countries for the training of nursing staff and the provision of highly specialized interventions.

Day filled with celebrations

The hospital also announced the day's schedule, which will include a papal audience.

“Audience participants will gather in the morning in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican, where volunteers from various associations collaborating with Bambino Gesù will entertain the children, starting at 8:30 a.m.”

After the arrival of the Pope and a group of 50 children who will have unfurled a banner with the slogan “Lives that help lives”, which will accompany the different initiatives that will characterize 2024 as “the year of giving”, Pope Francis will pronounce a speech.

The Pope will then greet the president of Bambino Gesù, Tiziano Onesti, Duchess Maria Grazia Salviati, heir to the founding family of the hospital, and the young patients with their families.

In the weeks leading up to the audience, patients at the hospital wrote down their thoughts for the Pope.

A basket containing these messages will be given to Pope Francis at the end of the audience.

Mr. Onesti declared: “We sincerely thank Pope Francis for the opportunity of this meeting, because by welcoming us on this occasion, he demonstrates once again his closeness and affection for “our” Hospital, confirming us in our commitment.

He also expressed his gratitude to “doctors, nurses and all the nursing staff who cannot attend the hearing because they are engaged in a hospital service which never stops”.

The president explained that through their service of “treating children and young people around the world,” they “take care of our future.”

The hearing will be broadcast live by Vatican Media and covered on Bambino Gesù's social networks.