[2] The day was instituted on 13 May 1992 by Pope John Paul II and is celebrated on 11 February, also the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Pope John Paul II had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease as early as 1991,[3] an illness which was only confirmed in 2001,[4] and it is significant that he decided to create the World Day of the Sick only one year after his diagnosis.

The pope had written a great deal on the topic of suffering and believed that it was very much a salvific and redeeming process through Christ, as he indicated in his apostolic letter Salvifici Doloris.

In 2005, the World Day of the Sick had a special significance since the ailing pope later died on 2 April of that year.

In 2013, Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on this day, and he gave his declining health as his reason for retiring.