Archbishop Javier Lozano Barragán´s «Theology and Medicine» has been published in Spanish by the Mexican Institute of Christian Social Doctrine, and in Italian by Dehonianas Publications of Bologna.
The book considers the fundamental principles that the magisterium offers to enlighten medical practice. Among the topics addressed are the spiritual and moral aspects of sickness; the meaning of human suffering; and the identity of social health agents.
In the book´s introduction, the author echoes John Paul II´s February 1984 apostolic letter «Salvifici Doloris,» in which he says that suffering has meaning when it is accepted and offered to Jesus.
In the book´s prologue, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, focuses on this idea, stating that «suffering accepted and endured in communion with Christ, crucified and resurrected, finds profound meaning for the person and for others; what is more, it can become a curing force. This is not theological speculation, but a very realistic position, since a program which does not help man in suffering but promises to eliminate him altogether, lacks realism.»
For more information on the book, contact: opersanit@hlthwork.va.
