Pope blesses cornerstone of new Gemelli Hospital Heart Centre

Vatican News

Pope Leo XIV on Monday blessed the cornerstone of the new “Pope Francis Heart Centre” (Centro Cuore – Papa Francesco) that will soon be part of Rome’s Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic, encouraging medical staff and administrators to ensure that the hospital’s growth remains rooted in both professional excellence and Christian formation.

Receiving Gemelli Hospital representatives in the Vatican on Monday morning, the Pope reflected on the significance of the new cardiovascular centre’s name, Cuore, which is the Italian word for heart. He noted that while “CUORE” serves as an acronym for Cardiovascular Unique Offer ReEngineered, it also points to the deeper spiritual heritage of the institution, which belongs to the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart.

Reflecting on the University’s founding, Pope Leo recalled how Blessed Armida Barelli insisted that it bear the name of the Sacred Heart despite concerns that such a title might appear overly devotional - a decision he described as “prophetic.”

Dilexit nos

The Pope linked that heritage to Pope Francis’ last encyclical, Dilexit nos, on the human and divine love of the Heart of Jesus Christ. He cited the document’s teaching that the heart is the centre and synthesis of the human person, and said its anthropology offers the guiding principles for the mission of Catholic healthcare.

“This profound core, present in every man and woman, is not that of the soul, but of the entire person in his or her unique psychosomatic identity. (…). In a word, if love reigns in our heart, we become, in a complete and luminous way, the persons we are meant to be, for every human being is created above all else for love. In the deepest fibre of our being, we were made to love and to be loved,” Pope Leo quoted.

Thus, he encouraged the Gemelli Hospital community to preserve its identity as it expands, stressing that “the more the Gemelli grows, the more the human and Christian formation of those who work there must be cultivated.”

He also invoked the legacy of Father Agostino Gemelli and Blessed Armida Barelli, praising their vision for a medical faculty and Catholic hospital animated by charity and faith.

The “Centro Cuore – Papa Francesco”

The new centre, named in honour of Pope Francis, who received care at the Gemelli hospital during his 13-year pontificate, will consolidate cardiovascular care within the Gemelli complex and is intended to serve as a person-centred model for integrated treatment of heart disease.

The new centre,  located on the university campus, aims to become a clinical and scientific hub for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

With a total floor area of 27,000 m2, the Heart Centre will have 100 beds for ordinary hospitalisation, 28 beds for intensive care, 16 day hospital beds, and nine operating rooms. It will have advanced technology for cardiovascular imaging and telehealth. It will be built, guaranteeing architectural and functional continuity with the existing hospital via two connections.