Early in his pontificate Pope Francis presented his vision of the Church in the world-- that of a “field hospital” for the wounded. In a 2013 interview with Jesuit journalist Antonio Spadaro, S.J., he said,

The church’s ministers must be merciful, take responsibility for the people and accompany them like the good Samaritan, who washes, cleans and raises up his neighbor. This is pure Gospel... The ministers of the Gospel must be people who can warm the hearts of the people, who walk through the dark night with them, who know how to dialogue and to descend themselves into their people’s night, into the darkness, but without getting lost. [1]