Pope’s pediatric hospital ranks 6th worldwide, 1st in Europe

Newsweek has named the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital of Rome, which belongs to the Holy See, as sixth on its list of the world’s best pediatric hospitals in 2026. Its oncology department is mentioned for its “standout treatment.”

Besides being the sixth on the list, the hospital is the highest-ranking pediatric hospital in Europe. The highest-ranked overall is the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada; ranks two through five are held by hospitals in the United States.

In a press release, Tiziano Onesti, the institution’s president, said that “it’s a recognition that is born from the daily teamwork of the entire Hospital community.” He mentions its many members—from doctors and nurses to volunteers and religious personnel—who take care of the patients and their families, and he thanks them for their daily work which they carry out “with competence, passion, and a sense of responsibility.”

At the same time, he considers this high ranking not as a final goal they have reached, but as “a stimulus to do even better, strengthening our commitment to ever-more-advanced care” offered to all with attention to each person.

Bambino Gesù (“Child Jesus”) Pediatric Hospital caught world-wide attention when it offered to care for Charlie Gard (2017) and later for Alfie Evans (2018), children who were being refused treatment in Great Britain for their incurable diseases. In both cases the British government ruled that their life-sustaining treatment be withdrawn, against the wishes of the parents. Sadly, in neither case was Bambino Gesù allowed to help them.

In 2020, the hospital was again in the spotlight when doctors there successfully separated conjoined twins Ervina and Prefina, who are from the Central African Republic. The girls were born with “total posterior craniopagus,” sharing not only a large number of blood vessels, but a conjoined skull.

The Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital was founded in 1869 by Duchess Arabella Fitz James Salviati with the support of her family. In fact, her young children gave her the contents of their own moneybox to help create the hospital. At the start, it was managed by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. By 1907, it had received 1,000 patients, and had moved into a section of a 15th-century building which had belonged to the convent of Sant’Onofrio.

In 1903, Duchess Arabella passed away. The family operated the hospital until 1924, when they donated it to Pope Pius XI. The hospital continued to grow and thrive, thanks to funding from international donors, many from the United States.

During World War II, despite Nazi occupation, it continued to function, and even helped hide Jews from persecution, disguising them as staff and patients.

While still belonging to the Holy See, it was integrated into the national healthcare system of Italy in 1978 and recognized as a research hospital and treatment institute in 1985.

Since it was entrusted to the Holy See, most pontiffs have visited the hospital at least once, and some multiple times. The story is told that John XXIII once visited wearing a red cloak lined with white fur, once typical of the popes, and one of the children mistook him for Santa Claus…

Pope Francis visited the hospital on the 100th anniversary of its foundation. During his address to the managers and staff, he thanked them for their history of generosity in giving, of excellence in offering care—particularly its special attention to “the frailest, such as patients affected with serious, rare or ultra-rare diseases”—and to its strong community spirit and teamwork.

Newsweek and Statista’s “World’s Best Specialized Hospitals 2026 ranking” recognizes “the leading hospitals worldwide in 12 medical fields.” These fields include pediatrics, alongside cardiac surgery, neurology, oncology, and other important areas of treatment.

The institutions are chosen based on three “data pillars”: an international online survey of health care professionals and hospital managers, accreditation data (including certifications and accreditations), and the PROMS (Patient Reported Outcome Measures) implementation survey. The greatest weight in final scoring is given to the first pillar. Medical institutions from over 30 countries are on the lists.

Based on these criteria, the Bambino Gesù Pediatric Hospital was ranked sixth out of the top 250 pediatric hospitals and first in Europe, but the hospital’s president doesn’t view it as a competition where they need to beat the rest. What matters most is taking care of children. “We will continue to commit ourselves to sharing experiences and knowledge in the ambit of the national health system and with the international community,” Onesti says, “to offer all the little patients the best care possible.”