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Pope Francis’ address to the Italian Federation of Blood Donor Associations (FIDAS)
on the 65th anniversary of its foundation
Paul VI Room – Saturday, 9 November 2024
Dear brothers and sisters,
I greet the President and all of you. I am happy to meet you on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the foundation of the Italian Federation of Blood Donor Associations (FIDAS), animated by the silent commitment of thousands of donors throughout the country. I would like to pause with you to reflect for a moment on three aspects of your activity: joy – because I know that you are joyful – and witness and solidarity.
First: joy.
Joy and positivity are common characteristics in volunteer environments and more generally among people who work for to the good of others. You can feel it here too, among you, and it is no coincidence. Giving with love does indeed, bring joy.
Jesus himself said it: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
It is because we were created […] to give love, to make love the inspiration for all our activities” (Benedict XVI, Greeting to Young People in Westminster Cathedral, 18 September 2010).
The gift gives joy, because in it our whole life is transformed and flourishes, entering into the luminous dynamism of the Gospel, in which everything finds its meaning and its fullness in love.
Giving gives you joy. Giving makes you happier than taking. You freely give others an important part of yourself, your blood, and you certainly know the happiness that comes from sharing.
Second: testimony.
In a world, as we know that is tainted by individualism and that often sees the other mas an enemy to be fought rather than a brother or sister to be welcomed, your disinterested and anonymous gesture is a sign that overcomes indifference and loneliness, that crosses borders and breaks down barriers.
The donor does not know to whom his blood is going, nor does the recipient of a transfusion generally know who his benefactor is. And blood itself, in its vital functions, is an eloquent symbol: it does not look at the color of the skin, nor at the ethnic or religious affiliation of the recipient, but humbly enters where it can, trying to reach, through the veins, every part of the organism, to bring energy.
This is how love works.
And the gesture of the outstretched arm, which is made at the moment of reception, is significant.
It is very similar to the one that Jesus made during the Passion, when he voluntarily stretched out his body on the cross.
It is a gesture that speaks of God and reminds us that “the Church’s evangelizing mission is through charity”.
Finally, solidarity.
Those who follow the blood reach the heart, both physically and spiritually: that is, they reach the “unifying center […] of the person” (Dilexit nos, 55), where “self-respect and openness to others” (Dilexit no, 18) meet, the place par excellence of reconciliation and unity.
In this regard I would like to invite you to live blood donation not only as an act of human generosity, but also as a journey of spiritual growth along the path of solidarity united in Christ, as a gift to the Lord of Mercy, who identifies himself with those who suffer.
Follow the blood to reach the heart – do not forget this – that is, to embrace more and more every man and woman you meet, all of them, in one charity.
Dear friends, thank you for what you do!
I bless you and your families, donors and all those who collaborate with your Federation.
I remember you in my prayers and, I encourage you not to forget to pray for me. Thank you very much.
