The sick must be helped to face incurable diseases and death with dignity, says Pope
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Initiatives and policies that offer those who suffer, especially terminal patients, “conditions where human beings can bear even incurable illnesses and death” is what Pope Benedict XVI recommends to the Church in a message released today for the 15th World Day of the Sick which will be celebrated in Seoul, South Korea, on February 11, 2007.
Like the Good Samaritan, the Pope writes, one should never deprive those who suffer of support. “Despite the advances of science, a cure cannot be found for every illness, and thus, in hospitals, hospices and homes throughout the world we encounter the sufferings of our many brothers and sisters who are incurably and often terminally ill”. Human life, however, “has intrinsic limitations, and sooner or later it ends in death. This is an experience to which each human being is called, and one for which he or she must be prepared”.
Sadly, “many millions of people in our world still experience unsanitary living conditions and lack access to much-needed medical resources, often of the most basic kind, with the result that the number of human beings considered “incurable” is greatly increased”.
“The Church”, Benedict XVI notes, “wishes to support the incurably and terminally ill by calling for just social policies which can help eliminate the causes of many diseases and by urging improved care for the dying and those for whom no medical remedy is available.”
Finally, the Pope directly addresses “my dear brothers and sisters suffering from incurable and terminal diseases” to encourage them “to contemplate the sufferings of Christ crucified, and, in union with him, to turn to the Father with complete trust that all life, and your lives in particular, are in his hands.”
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12/02/2016 15:14
