Pope Leo XIV has chosen the theme for the 35th World Day of the Sick, to be celebrated on 11 February 2027, corresponding with the Feast Day of Our Lady of Lourdes. Announced by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on Thursday, 5 November, the theme is: “They lowered him on the stretcher in front of Jesus: The role of the community in caring for every person.”
Inspired by the Gospel of Luke’s account of a paralytic lowered through a roof by his companions to reach Jesus, the theme emphasizes the collective responsibility of Christian communities and civil society in attending to the sick, elderly, and vulnerable. The Dicastery noted that this baptismal calling urges parishes and communities to imitate the friends of the paralytic by creating spaces of closeness, care, and hope for those who suffer or are alone.