Patriarch Daniel highlights link between medicine and Christian spirituality at EABM Conference
Addressing the 17th Annual Meeting of the Euro-Asian Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (EABM), held from October 17 to 20 in Iași, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church pointed to the importance of cooperation between medical science and Christian spirituality. He emphasized that both fields share a common goal: healing the sick.
Patriarch Daniel highlighted how medical advances increasingly confirm the benefits of faith, compassion, and altruism on physical and spiritual well-being. He noted that a life rooted in Christian spirituality promotes a healthy lifestyle on both individual and community levels.
In recognition of his contributions, Professor Dr Grigore Tinică, Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Iași and President of the EABM Congress, was awarded the 2024 Solemn Diploma and Medal for his service in caring for the sick.
The patriarch concluded by offering his blessings and prayers for the conference’s success and all its participants.
The Beneficial Cooperation Between Medicine and Christian Spirituality
It is with great joy that I greet all participants of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Euro-Asian Society of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery (EABM), taking place from October 17 to 20 in Iași. We also pray to our Lord Jesus Christ to bless this essential scientific gathering and all its organizers.
Medicine is a unique space where science intersects with spirituality, with a shared goal: healing the sick through medical care carried out with faith in God, the Source of life.
Today’s remarkable progress in medical science has created numerous connections with Christian spirituality. Spiritual life within the Church, as well as the compassion and solidarity practised in Christian communities—testimonies of authentic spiritual life—are increasingly confirmed by research as beneficial to both spiritual and physical health.
Medical research demonstrates the therapeutic potential of love and compassion, showing altruism’s positive effects on health and volunteering’s impact on well-being.
Compassion strengthens those who care for the sick, enabling them to face suffering. Medical care infused with compassion is often experienced as spiritual fulfilment. A kind heart is a medicine for a healthy heart, just as forgiveness reduces hostility, lowers stress, and enhances the quality of life for the one who forgives.
A life illuminated by faith and the practices specific to Christian spirituality promote the beneficial effects of the spiritual dimension of medical care, fostering healthy behaviour on personal, familial, and community levels.
Through their work, physicians come close to priests, being present at the birth, growth, and often the death of a person. Constantly striving to alleviate suffering, extend life, and restore health, physicians, like priests, occupy a privileged position in the field of life, witnessing daily the mystery of life and the miracle of healing.
We pray to God to help us intertwine the spirituality of prayer with medical science and other disciplines focused on humanity, the crown of God’s creation. In doing so, we will feel Christ’s love at work in physicians and in those who pray for the health of others.
In recognition of his exceptional service to others, we are pleased to award the 2024 Diploma and Medal—”The Solemn Year of Pastoral Care and Assistance of the Sick”—to Professor Dr Grigore Tinică, President of the Congress and Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Iași.
With appreciation and blessings,
† DANIEL
Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church
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