Pat Merryweather‑Arges: Improving Patient Care Through Global Humanitarian Service

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): A Further Inquiry

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/06/18

Part 2 of 3

Pat Merryweather-Arges, Executive Director of Project Patient Care and longtime Rotarian, shares insights from her decades of humanitarian work across over 30 countries. Merryweather‑Arges observes that Pope Leo XIV’s Chicago roots and commitment to the poorest parallel Rotary’s humanitarian ethos. Coupled with the Gates Foundation’s plan to deploy US $200  billion by 2045, she foresees renewed moral momentum toward poverty relief, health access, and technology‑driven development. Although officially nonreligious, Rotary partners pragmatically with trusted faith organizations while enforcing strict ethical standards and rigorous safety protocols. Fellowship and shared altruism unite Rotarians worldwide, illustrated by successful Nigerian hospital planning and her humorous “icebreaker” anecdote.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: You’ve mentioned a sister, a Catholic hospital, and Opus Dei. With the recent election of the new Pope, there have been many Popes, John, Clement, and Leo–and now we have another Pope, Leo—how do you think this kind of elevation, from cardinal to Pope, influences the direction or emphasis of Rotary International’s work?

Pat Merryweather-Arges: You’ve several significant things converging right now. First, this new Pope, Leo XIV, emphasizes caring for the poorest of the poor, which aligns closely with Rotary’s humanitarian mission.

What’s also exciting is that he’s from Chicago—and I’m from Chicago—so there’s a lot of local pride and energy here. The excitement level in the city is remarkable. It feels like an opportunity to drive change in how we treat one another, as a country and as individuals.

At the same time, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation just announced that it will conclude its operations by 2045. Over the next 20 years, it plans to distribute $200 billion toward global initiatives. They’ve outlined key focus areas: ending poverty, increasing access to healthcare and medication, and leveraging technology for international development.

What struck me most was Bill Gates’s statement, “I don’t want to hold onto money while people are dying.” He even called out Elon Musk and others who are hoarding wealth. His stance aligns with the Pope’s emphasis on justice and moral responsibility.

So when you put this all together—the new Pope’s message, the Gates Foundation’s sunset plan, and growing attention to ethical leadership—I think it gives people in the United States hope that we can turn a corner. It’s about values: country, faith, family. And I believe faith, spirituality, and community-based leadership will be more visible in shaping public life.

Jacobsen: He also has a long history in Peru, right? We’ve seen a few powerful movements emerge from Latin America—liberation theology, for example, where Pope Francis had significant influence. And then there’s the broader policy framework coming out of international organizations like the UN under António Guterres, the current Secretary-General and a former Prime Minister of Portugal.

Though Guterres doesn’t use explicitly religious language, he champions evidence-based policies to improve conditions for vulnerable populations. Take decriminalization of substance use, for example—under his leadership, the UN and WHO have both encouraged shifting from punitive responses to public health-oriented approaches.

So on one side, you’ve got the Catholic Church, led by Pope Francis and now Pope Leo XIV, emphasizing a communitarian, almost Augustinian ethos rooted in service and humility. On the other hand, secular international institutions have reached many of the same conclusions, but they are just framed differently.

Do you think this new Pope will continue that trend, aligning with that broader historical trajectory?

Merryweather-Arges: Yes, I do. One of the things he talked about right away—the first words he spoke—was wishing everyone peace. But he also emphasized building bridges. Some literal and metaphorical bridges have been broken due to tariffs, conflict, or global tension.

Jacobsen: Yes, both literal bombing and metaphorical destruction.

Merryweather-Arges: He genuinely sees everyone as one person. He does not know the world in terms of rigid national divides. We all share basic needs and desires—housing, good health, food, and clean water. These are universal. And one of the things I’ve consistently found while travelling from country to country is that parents everywhere want the best for their children.

They will sacrifice anything to ensure their children’s better future. That is something that unites us all. It’s refreshing that this new Pope was selected. He comes from a poor neighbourhood—Dalton, Illinois. My cousin’s wife went to grade school with him, so she’s been appearing on national talk shows and in the media lately.

Dalton is not a typical blue-collar town—it’s working-class, tight-knit, and everyone there looks out for one another. The people there had large families. My cousin’s family had five children, and the Pope’s family had a couple of brothers. The Church was the center of their lives. So, I believe this Pope brings a sensitivity and groundedness that matters.

We talk about Pope Francis and his commitment to living simply. He didn’t need lavish things. He set an example by living humbly and focusing on giving to others. The message was: we don’t need that much to live meaningfully.

Jacobsen: I reviewed some of Pope Leo’s recent statements, and from my analysis, they’re far less ambiguous than those of Pope Francis. It’s not that they differ in moral clarity—they’re quite aligned there—but in rhetorical clarity. With Pope Francis, you often had to interpret or read between the lines. Pope Leo, by contrast, is much more direct.

So, for example, your traditional positions on gender and marriage will be seen, which will spark culture war debates—but in terms of economic justice and social policy, Pope Leo seems ready to advance real-world action.

Merryweather-Arges: Yes, I agree. During his papacy, many meaningful social justice works emerged—practical, on-the-ground efforts.

Jacobsen: What kind of partnerships does Rotary International have with Catholic institutions? Are they more surface-level, or on a case-by-case basis?

Merryweather-Arges: Rotary is officially a nonreligious and nonpolitical organization. It is prohibited from working with religious institutions, whether Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, or other faiths.

The depth of collaboration depends on the global grant’s structure and the specific initiative. We often work closely with faith-based groups, but we don’t sidestep them in a way that becomes religiously affiliated. We keep the focus on shared humanitarian goals.

But again, we do work closely with different organizations. When you enter a community, you always wonder, “Who do people trust here?” Often, even in Chicago, if you want to get something done in specific neighbourhoods, you go through faith-based organizations. They’re the community trusts. So, yes—those relationships are essential.

Jacobsen: What’s the age at which Rotary would feel comfortable sending someone into a high-risk area? Say someone starts as an Interactor and then becomes a Rotarian—what does Rotary permit deployment to dangerous regions?

Merryweather-Arges: Rotary evaluates travel on a case-by-case basis. It depends on the specific project and the region’s risk. For example, when I went to Pakistan, there was a considerable discussion at Rotary headquarters about whether I should go. Most of the conflict was in Islamabad, not Karachi, where I was headed.

Ultimately, they approved the trip, but only with the guarantee that I would have 24/7 security. So, safety protocols are taken very seriously.

During COVID, we faced significant challenges with Rotary Youth Exchange students scattered across the globe. These are often under-18 students participating in cultural and academic exchanges coordinated by clubs and districts.

Some countries wouldn’t allow citizens to return home, and in other cases, students had to quarantine in hotels before re-entry was allowed. Rotary staff worked around the clock to manage the logistics and ensure the students’ safety. We had no significant incidents, but getting everyone home took time and effort.

Jacobsen: In your time, has Rotary ever reported—maybe in a newsletter or internal communication—that a member was injured or killed while serving?

Merryweather-Arges: The only incident I can recall happened about ten years ago. A Rotarian was kidnapped in Northern Nigeria, but they were eventually released safely.

Also, in Panama, there were family members of Rotarians, not Rotarians themselves, who were kidnapped by pirates while on a boat. The Rotarian network helped facilitate their safe release, working closely with the Panamanian government, which negotiated with the pirates.

Jacobsen: Now, we’re touching on some deeper ethical considerations here. What do you consider, not in terms of what’swritten on the website, but in practical reality, what do you think unites Rotarians?

Merryweather-Arges: I think what truly unites Rotarians is fellowship—and more importantly, a shared altruistic drive to do good in the world and within their communities. It’s genuine. It’s about like-minded people coming together, working to make a meaningful difference. That spirit exists—believe me.

Jacobsen: What do you do when there are ethical breaches?

Merryweather-Arges: Most clubs are equipped to handle those situations. Rotary has model bylaws, and clubs typically follow those guidelines. Any ethical issue is addressed seriously. The key is ensuring that issues within a club don’t fester, especially when they involve integrity or trust. So yes, they are handled.

Jacobsen: Hypothetically, what would happen with an ethical breach? Would someone be expelled, or just warned?

Merryweather-Arges: It depends on the nature and severity of the breach. But there’s zero there for certain things, like racist behaviour, attacks based on gender identity, or discrimination. Those kinds of actions result in immediate removal. If there’s any misconduct—someone misuses club funds—that’s grounds for immediate dismissal. Depending on the situation, it may even escalate into a civil lawsuit filed by the injured party.

I’ve participated in polio immunization campaigns in India, Pakistan, and Nigeria. I’ve also worked on other significant projects, like one in Nigeria, where we organized a three-hospital initiative. What was remarkable is that the leaders of these hospitals had never met before.

It all started when the CEO of a large hospital realized they needed a strategic plan. They had been operating in a reactive mode—just responding when something happened—rather than proactively improving outcomes and safety.

We spent two days with hospital staff. Everyone was energized and collaborative. We developed the strategic plan together, and then they took it to the community for input. Afterward, we brought everything back, added timelines and accountability measures, and finalized it. It turned out to be a tremendous success.

I had a guffaw moment.

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Jacobsen: Guffaw? I haven’t heard anything in a while. Which whippersnapper told you that?

Merryweather-Arges: [Laughing] Right? So I suggested we do an icebreaker. But I was in Nigeria, and they had never heard the term. They looked around, confused, like, “What ice? Where is the ice? Are we breaking something?”

Jacobsen: [Laughing] Not much ice in Nigeria.

Merryweather-Arges: But once we got past that, the energy was fantastic. They were excited, vocal, and eager to lead the improvement efforts. The hospital, though, especially the maternity wing, was deplorable. The women’s bathhouse was almost unusable, and the nursing school lacked basic tools, like skeletons for anatomy education. Many medical devices were broken. So we rolled up our sleeves.

We identified what we could fix quickly and what needed external support. We ended up shipping about eight full-size medical supply cartons. We partnered with Mission Outreach, a nonprofit that collects unused hospital equipment, especially from the Midwest. Much of it is new or nearly new, just not the latest model. If it needs repair, they fix it. Then we coordinate the logistics to get the supplies to rural hospitals, like the one in central Nigeria.

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