Pope Francis: Caring for the sick is not optional Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ ministry of healing during the Angelus on Sunday, the first to be held in St Peter's Square as anti-covid distancing measures are slowly eased. By Christopher Wells The healing of St Peter’s mother-in-law is characteristic of Jesus’ miracles of healing, Pope Francis says during his weekly Angelus address. In St Mark’s Gospel, we read that Jesus drew near her, took her hand, and raised her up from the bed where she was suffering from a fever. The episode also shows the outcome of the healing: the person healed immediately resumes their normal life, thinking immediately of others, and not themselves. This, the Pope says, “is significant, it is a sign of true ‘health’.”