On March 4, 2026, after the General Audience, Pope Leo XIV met in the Paul VI Audience Hall’s small chapel with a delegation from the American non-profit organization  Patrons of the World’s Children’s Hospital . During the meeting, the representatives presented him with specialized equipment for the TELADOC LITE telemedicine system  , a tool designed to conduct virtual consultations of such high quality that they closely resemble in-person care.

This North American organization acts as coordinator of the  Pope’s Global Alliance for Children’s Health and Humanitarian Care , an international network that unites pediatric hospitals and medical centers in various countries—including the Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome—with the purpose of bringing specialized care to children living in disadvantaged areas or where children’s health services are insufficient.

The initiative, which has papal backing, aims to assist one million children during its first three years of operation. This ambitious mission was originally entrusted by Pope Francis in May 2024 and continues to be promoted under his current pontificate.

During the presentation of the device, a practical demonstration was carried out: a remote medical connection was established with professionals in Argentina, which made it possible to concretely illustrate the capabilities of this technology to overcome geographical barriers and guarantee timely diagnoses and follow-ups in hard-to-reach areas.