Too bad this Peruvian Cardinal isn't bishop of St. Petersburg, FL instead of this guy. His was one of the greatest acts of religious cowardice in modern American history. And that's saying something.
Posted on 07/27/2005 6:04:09 AM PDT by NYer
Lima, Jul. 26, 2005 (CNA) - The President of the Pontifical Council for Heath Care, Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, recalled the Terry Schiavo case this week and said “they killed her” by denying her food and hydration.
According to the cardinal, “Food and hydration are never considered medicine.” “To remove them means euthanasia, it means killing, and so this woman was killed by hunger and starvation. Let’s stop with the euphemisms—they killed her,” he stated.
“Law consists of a rational ordering that seeks the common good and not the common evil,” Cardinal Lozano noted, “but many times there are laws that are called laws but are nothing more than arbitrary norms. In fact, the President of the United States was against this court decision because he had enough sense to realize it was incorrect.”
In today’s world, he stated, there is an abundance of euphemisms to disguise euthanasia. “The dignity of death means that this person has the capacity to reach the fullness of maturity so that upon crossing the threshold he or she does so in full consciousness, blossoming forth completely in the Lord,” the cardinal added.
He also called for advances in palliative care in order to “resolve the problems of pain and so that individuals can be more aware and more united to Christ on the cross, and thus be more conscious of the beginning of the resurrection.”
Likewise, the cardinal pointed out that “a doctor who is not a believer is always a frustrated doctor. The most advanced techniques, the most advanced medicines, are always met at the exit by the ironic laughter of death; on the other hand, the believer says no to death,” he said.
Well there are lots of kids and adults who have the same cognitive ability due to cerebral palsy and downs symdrome. Guess they died when they were born, shall we take their feeding tubes away??
Hope these help a bit:
http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=598
http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=307
http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/end_of_life_decisions.htm
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05630a.htm
Food and/or water are not artificial means but basic life necessities. To refuse either is a willful act of omission and homicide. If "living wills" call for starvation and dehydratio, then they are calling for assisted suicide which, for the assisting physician, is morally a homicide.
No. Last Friday, a young couple in our parish had to confront reality. Over the 8 months of his life, their son underwent 3 major surgeries to repair various problems, all of which were undetected prior to birth. A team of medical specialists explained to the parents that everything medical science had to offer had been done. Our pastor drove 4 hours to administer Last Rites and comfort them in their grief. The child was placed in his mother's arms, the last tube removed and he died 'naturally'. There is NOTHING in Catholic teaching that says extraordinary means must be taken to save a life, or that natural death must be delayed by life saving equipment.
SOCRATIC(spelling...sorry)
BTTT! I had not seen this before Coleus linked it to another thread.
Speaking the truth! Bravo!
Thanks for the Terri ping!
It was state sponsored murder.
For those who may have missed, our dailies is a collection of most of the continuing legacy of Terri. The link is above.
We Catholics had a formidable presence at Pinellas Park including Monsignor Malinowski, Brothers Hilary and Paul, and Father Pavone and numbers of others. We carried our Rosaries into battle.
But Bp. Lynch forgot to come, or was busy or something.
8mm
later for sure pingout.
There was no mercy in this killing.
They would include a ventilatorand a defibrillator. These replace the brain functions telling our bodies to breathe or our hearts to beat. These are associated with "DNR" orders, of which Terri Schiavo is NOT an example.
Amen!
IIRC, he high tailed it to assess the tsunami damage. Such a pillar of moral strength, and accountability.
Great statement from the Cardinal. We do have to continue to make our voices heard, because it will continue to get worse.
Thanks for the pings!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.