Item 5 in Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

Visit and Care for the Sick

Give presence, assistance and care to people who are ill.

Position
5
Form
Positive duty or instruction
Obligation
Strong duty
Wording status
Editorial paraphrase
Intended audience
Catholics and other Christians who adopt the works-of-mercy tradition
Last reviewed
28 June 2026

Names and terminology

Canonical name: Visit and Care for the Sick

Source wording

Editorial paraphrase: Give presence, assistance and care to people who are ill.

Editorial paraphrase

Literal meaning

Give presence, assistance and care to people who are ill.

Broader interpretation

This item should be interpreted within the historical purpose, intended audience and wider structure of its parent ethical framework.

Historical context

This item belongs to Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. Biblical foundations with later Christian seven-item systematisation; Christian Europe and the wider Church.

Practical meaning

Practical application requires attention to intention, consent, evidence, rights, foreseeable effects and the needs of all persons or beings affected.

Ethical purpose

To shape conduct, judgment or character in a way consistent with the wider framework.

Exceptions and disputes

Care should respect medical evidence, consent, privacy and professional limits.

Variations across schools or traditions

Wording and interpretation may vary between translations, denominations, schools and historical periods.

Modern application

Modern application should distinguish the historical formulation from present legal, social and ethical conditions.

Criticism and difficult cases

Care should respect medical evidence, consent, privacy and professional limits.

Truth By Reason analysis

Truth By Reason assesses this principle through evidence, intentions, rights, foreseeable consequences, consistency and the treatment of all affected beings.

Ethical themes

  • Care and neglect
  • Compassion

Sources