Pope Francis met with participants of a mental health conference last month. He noted that it is essential that action is taken to “fully overcome the stigma that mental illness is often tainted with.”

He noted that we need to focus less on delivering “productive benefits to society” and more on building a “culture of community.”

How can your parish work to overcome the stigma of mental illness? Check out the NCPD Mental Illness page for ideas. 

Read articles below about Pope Francis and Mental Illness.

"Destigmatize mental illness says pope,"ANSA en Vatican. Published on 6/25/21. Link to article. 

"Pope Francis's tricks for warding off anxiety," Aleteia. Published on 6/28/21. Link to article. 

"Vatican tackles psychological fallout from Covid pandemic," Cruxnow. Published on 5/01/21. Link to article.

"Pope Francis says seeing a psychiatrist helped him with anxiety when he was younger," Catholic News Agency. Published on 2/27/21. Link to article.