Along the waterways of the Amazon rainforest, a remarkable mission continues to unfold—one begun by Pope Francis himself. Three floating hospital boats, staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses, are bringing life-saving care to communities that would otherwise be unreachable. Their work stands as a living sign of the Holy Father’s call to go to the peripheries and bring Christ’s compassion to those most forgotten.
These boats, including the Barco Hospital São João XXIII and the Barco Papa Francisco, offer medical help to Indigenous peoples and remote river communities where health services are nearly impossible to access. Many of the areas they visit have no roads at all, and entire journeys must be made by river.
“There are no roads that lead to some of the places we visit,” explained Felipe, a 28-year-old ophthalmologist volunteering aboard the São João XXIII, according to Vatican News. He described how the team often travels “two or three days before reaching anybody.”
The boats were originally inspired by Pope Francis’ encounter during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013. As Vatican News recounts, the Pope asked Brother Francisco Belotti, “Are you in the Amazon?” When the brother said he was not, the Pope replied: “You should go.” Out of that simple exchange came a mission that today has served one million people, according to the Vatican News report.
Aboard each vessel is a fully functioning medical center: consultation rooms, surgical suites, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and even a kitchen feeding those waiting to be seen. Felipe said, “We have everything here… We do consultations, surgeries, examinations – everything from cataract operations to minor general procedures,” according to the report.
Many illnesses treated on the boats are conditions that would be easily fixed elsewhere, cataracts, hernias, infections, but without access to care, they grow severe. “Some people wait years for their first consultation,” Felipe said. “Others travel hours by canoe just to reach us.”
The people he serves, he added, give far more than they receive. “The people here are some of the kindest I’ve ever met,” he said, noting how locals bring fruit or small gifts simply out of gratitude.
The mission transforms everyone involved. “It’s not just about charity,” Felipe reflected. “It’s about transformation – for them and for us,” according to Vatican News.
Docked in Belém during the opening days of COP30, the boats are also a powerful reminder of the link between care for the poor and care for creation—a theme Pope Francis has repeatedly emphasized. “COP is about change,” Felipe said. “It’s about recognising that we’re all different, but that there’s something that connects us – kindness, care for one another, and for creation.”
Looking toward the next journey, Felipe said he is already eager to return to the communities along the river. “As soon as I get home, I’ll start looking for the next mission,” he shared. “I don’t want this to end.”
In the heart of the Amazon, far from the Vatican, the dream of Pope Francis continues to move across the water, quietly, faithfully, and with a compassion that reaches the very edges of the human family.
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