The Associação dos Médicos Católicos Portugueses (Portuguese Catholic Medical Society), the Hrvatsko katoličko liječničko društvo (HKLD) and FEAMC organize a pilgrimage to Fatima. Participants can be lodged in Casa de Retiros Nossa Senhora das Dores in Fatima.
| Organizing Committee | Scientific Committee |
|---|---|
| Dr. Diogo Cunha e Sà (Portugal) Prof. Alexandre Laureano-Santos (Portugal) Prof. Margarida Neto, AMCP president (Portugal) Prof. Vincenzo Defilippis (Italy) Prof. Dariusz Gasecki (Poland) | Prof. Rok Čivljak, HKLD – FEAMC president (Croatia) Prof. Ján Ďačok SJ (Slovakia) Prof. Frans J. van Ittersum (Netherlands) Prof. Jozef Glasa (Slovakia) Prof. Ewa Ślizień-Kuczapska (Poland) |
Program
| Friday, April 10th, 2026 | |
| Transfers from the airport, house or other accomodation to Fatima (on your own) At Lisbon Airport, there are buses to Fatima every 3 hours (near Airport Metro Station ) or, in alternative, every half hour at the Buses Terminal at Oriente Metro Station (about 13 euros from Lisbon to Fatima). Oriente Metro Station is the third station after Airport Metro Station. Arriving in Fatima, the distance from the bus terminal to “Casa de Retiros Nossa Senhora das Dores” (CRNSD) is about 700 meters. | |
| 18.00 h | Holy Mass |
| 19.00 h | Dinner (Casa de Retiros Nossa Senhora das Dores) |
| 20.30 h | Rosary in the Chapel of the Apparition (Capelinha) or/and procession |
| Saturday, April 11th, 2026 | |
| 8.00 h | Breakfast |
| FEAMC Executive Comittee | |
| 8.30 h | Meeting members FEAMC Executive Committee |
| All participants FEAMC Conference “Life, Conscience, and Medical Responsibility in Contemporary Europe: Catholic Physicians Facing Ethical and Societal Challenges“ | |
| This symposium brings together Catholic physicians and scholars from across Europe to reflect on the pressing ethical, cultural, and professional challenges shaping contemporary medicine. Through concrete national experiences and deeper moral reflection, the sessions address resistance to the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, the physician’s role in democratic processes, the protection of procreative health, and the vocation of the Catholic doctor in an increasingly postmodern and technocratic context. The symposium aims to foster dialogue, strengthen professional conscience, and reaffirm the commitment to the dignity of human life at all stages. | |
| 9.30 h | Introduction and welcome |
| 9.40 h | “Experiences with the fight against the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Portugal” Prof. José Diogo Ferreira Martins, MD, PhD This presentation offers a firsthand account of the medical, ethical, and societal efforts undertaken in Portugal to resist the legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia, highlighting lessons learned and ongoing challenges. |
| 10.00 h | 24-years euthanasia in the Netherlands: from last resort to a common choice in daily life Prof. Frans J. van Ittersum, MD, PhD How thinking on euthanasia and suïcide has changed over 24 years, suffering has become a subjective notion and dying has become a regular option in many situations of life. |
| 10.20 h | Assisted suicide in Slovenia: Medical and ethical perspectives before and after the referendum Representative of Catholic Doctors in Slovenia An analysis of the Slovenian national debate on assisted suicide, examining the pre-referendum context, the referendum process, and its implications for future medical practice and professional conscience. |
| 10.40 h | Discussion |
| 11.00 h | Safeguarding Procreative Health: Key challenges from the Polish conference on the prevention of Procreative Health Disorders (Warsaw, 2025) Prof. Ewa Ślizień-Kuczapska, MD, PhD This lecture presents the main outcomes and challenges identified during the Polish Conference, with a focus on preventive medicine, ethical responsibility, and future interdisciplinary cooperation in the field of procreative health. |
| 11.20 h | Sapientia Cordis: The Mission of the Catholic Physician in a Postmodern and Technocratic Age Prof. MD ThD Ján Ďačok SJ, PhD A reflective contribution on the vocation of the Catholic physician amid postmodern cultural pressures and technological dominance, emphasizing the need for wisdom of heart and mind shaped by faith and moral discernment. |
| 12.00 h | Closing remarks and Angelus prayer |
| 12.30 h | Lunch (Casa de Retiros Nossa Senhora das Dores) |
| 13.30 h | Excursion (Batalha, Nazaré) |
| 19.00 h | Holy Mass |
| 20.00 h | Dinner (Batalha, restaurant “Mosteiro do Leitão”) |
| Sunday April 12th, 2026 | |
| 8.00 h | Breakfast |
| 9.00 h | Departure for Lisbon |
| 11.00 h | Meeting with colleagues from the Portuguese Catholic Medical Society |
| 11.30 h | Mass in the Lisbon Cathedral |
| 13.30 h | Lunch |
| 15.00 h | Departure of all participants for the airport or sightseeing in Lisbon or socializing with colleagues (for those who will stay) |
Registration for this pilgrimage is closed
