Church Documents, Statements, etc.
"As ecumenical witness in defense of life
develops, a great teaching effort is needed to clarify the substantive
moral difference between discontinuing medical procedures that
may be burdensome, dangerous or disproportionate to the expected
outcome -- what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls
"the refusal of 'over-zealous' treatment" (No. 2278;
cf Evangelium Vitae, 65)
-- and taking away the ordinary means of preserving
life, such as feeding, hydration and normal medical care.
"The statement of the United
States Bishops' Pro-Life Committee, Nutrition and Hydration:
Moral and Pastoral Considerations*
, rightly emphasizes
that the omission of nutrition and hydration intended to cause
a patient's death must be rejected and that, while giving careful
consideration to all the factors involved, the presumption should
be in favor of providing medically assisted nutrition and hydration
to all patients who need them.
"To
blur this distinction is to introduce a source of countless injustices
and much additional anguish, affecting both those already suffering
from ill health or the deterioration which comes with age, and
their loved ones."
* to access on the US bishops' web site
click
here .
- Evangelium
Vitae - The
Gospel of Life - Encyclical (March 25, 1995) John
Paul II
- Posted March
22, 2004
PATIENTS IN THE VEGETATIVE STATE ARE ALWAYS HUMAN
VATICAN CITY, MAR 20,
2004 (VIS) - Today in the Clementine Hall John Paul II received
400 participants in an international congress promoted by the
World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations (FIAMC) and
by the Pontifical Academy for Life.
After recalling that conference members focussed on the theme
of the clinical condition known as the "vegetative state,"
the Pope affirmed that "the intrinsic value and the personal
dignity of every human being do not change, no matter what the
specific circumstances of their life. Human beings, even if they
are seriously ill and impaired in the exercise of their highest
functions, are and always will be human beings and will never
become 'vegetables' or 'animals'. Our sisters and brothers who
are in a 'vegetative state' fully preserve their dignity."
"Physicians and health workers, society and the Church have
a moral duty toward these persons which they cannot shirk, without
neglecting the requirements of professional deontology as well
as Christian and human solidarity. Sick people in a vegetative
state, waiting to recover or for a natural end, have the right
to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, hygiene, warmth,
etc)."
The Holy Father emphasized that
water and food, even when administered artificially, are "a
natural means of preserving life, not a medical procedure. Therefore,
their use must be considered ordinary and appropriate and as
such, morally obligatory."
The probability that there is
little hope for recovery, "when the vegetative state lasts
longer than a year, cannot ethically justify abandoning or interrupting
basic care, including food and hydration, of a patient."
Death by starvation or dehydration carried out "consciously
or deliberately is truly euthanasia by omission."
The Pope recalled the "moral
principal according to which even the slightest doubt of being
in the presence of a person who is alive requires full respect
and prohibits any action that would anticipate his or her death.
. The value of the life of a man cannot be subjected to the judgement
of quality expressed by other men; it is necessary to promote
positive activities to counteract pressure for the suspension
of food and hydration, as a means to putting an end to the life
of these patients."
"Above all," he added,
"we must support the families" that have a patient
in the vegetative state. "We cannot leave them alone with
the heavy human, economic and psychological weight." Society
must promote "specific programs of assistance and rehabilitation;
economic support and help at home for the family; . and support
structures when there are no family members able to address the
problem." In addition, he said, volunteers provide "fundamental
support to help the family to escape isolation and to help them
to feel a valuable part of society and not abandoned by social
institutions."
John Paul II ended by emphasizing
that "in these situations spiritual and pastoral help is
especially important in order to understand the deeper meaning
of a seemingly desperate situation."
AC/PATIENTS VEGETATIVE STATE/. VIS 040322 (500)
- Cardinal Martino Appeals
for Terri Schiavo
2-24-2005
VATICAN CITY, FEB. 24, 2005 (Zenit.org).-
A Vatican official launched an appeal to save Terri Schiavo,
the brain-damaged Florida woman whose husband wants her off life-support
care.
On Wednesday a Florida judge
ordered the tube delivering food and water to Schiavo kept in
place another 48 hours.
Pinellas County Circuit Judge
George Greer said he needed time to consider legal challenges
raised by the woman's parents, including the possibility that
her husband, Michael Schiavo, was unfit to act as her guardian.
In statements on Vatican Radio,
Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council
for Justice and Peace, said: "If Mr. Schiavo succeeds legally
in causing the death of his wife, this not only would be tragic
in itself, but would be a grave step toward the legal approval
of euthanasia in the United States."
He added: "I would like
to remind everyone in this connection, about all that the Holy
Father has said in past days to the Pontifical Academy for Life,
confirming that the quality of life is not interpreted as economic
success, beauty and physical pleasure, but consists in the supreme
dignity of the creature made in the image and likeness of God.
"No one can be the arbiter
of life except God himself."
Source: http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=66849
Bishops'
Statements
CWNews article : Bishops weigh in
on Terri Schiavo (30 perspectives, updated Friday, April 1, 2005)
WFF list of statements in alphabetical order
- Bishop
Joseph Adamec
Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
FOR THE GOOD OF THE HOUSEHOLD:
April 4, 2005 "MAKING LIGHT OF LIFE" found on
the Diocese website
Broken link as of 4/12/2005.
- Bishop
Robert J. Baker
Bishop of Charleston
Bishop
Robert J. Baker's statement on the death of Terri Schiavo
- Bishop
Gerald M. Barbarito
Diocese of Palm Beach
Statement
from Bishop Gerald M. Barbarito, "Regarding the Death of
Terri Schiavo"
March 31, 2005
- Bishop
J. Kevin Boland
Diocese of Savannah
Statement
on Terri Schiavo
- Bishop
Paul G. Bootkoski
Diocese of Metuchen
The
Most Rev. Paul G. Bootkoski, Bishop of Metuchen Statement on
Terri Schiavo --
March 31, 2005
found on the Metuchen Diocese website
- Bishop
Lawrence Brandt
Bishop of Greensburg
Statement
from Bishop Brandt on the Death of Terri Schiavo -- March
31, 2005
found on the Greensburg Diocese Website
- Archbishop
Alex J. Brunett
Archdiocese of Seattle
Statement
on the Death of Terri Schiavo
March 31, 2005
- Archbishop
Daniel M. Buechlein
Archdiocese of Indianapolis
"Terri
Schiavo reminds us that only God is the Lord of Life"
April 8, 2005 - Archbishop column in The Criterion
- Archbishop
Raymond L. Burke
Archdiocese of St. Louis
April 8, 2005
The evil of so-called euthanasia , by Archbishop
Raymond L. Burke -- link to the St. Louis Review.
Statement of Archbishop
Raymond L. Burke
Regarding the Death of Terri Schindler Schiavo
With great sadness, I have learned of the death of Terri Schindler
Schiavo. I pray for her eternal rest and for the intentions of
her family who mourn the loss of her earthly company. May she
rest in peace.
My sadness at the death of Terri Schiavo is also sadness for
our nation, in which the most basic care, that is nutrition and
hydration, was denied to a citizen with special needs, not because
she was dying but because the "quality" of her life
was judged by us not to be sufficient to merit our care. She
who had the first title to our care was left to die by our premeditated
and deliberate failure to provide her food and water. To cause
the death of an innocent human being by denying nutrition and
hydration is contrary to the natural moral law and a barbaric
act. I pray that those charged with the governance of our nation
will take appropriate action to end the grave evil of so-called
"mercy killing" and to safeguard the respect for the
dignity of the life of our fellow citizens who are burdened with
advanced years, serious illness or special needs.
I ask Christ's faithful in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and
all people of good will in the metropolitan community, to pray
for Terri Schindler Schiavo and her family, and to pray for our
nation.
(Most Rev.) Raymond L. Burke
Archbishop of St. Louis
March 31, 2005
The Archdiocese will host a memorial mass for Terri Schiavo on
Tues., April 12, 2005 - 7 pm at Immacolata Catholic Church, 8900
Clayton Rd., Richmond Heights, MO 63117
- Bishop
Frederick F. Campbell
Diocese of Columbus
Diocese
Mourns Death of Terri Schiavo -- March 31, 2005
Bishop Campbell Asks Prayers for Terri Schiavo and Her Family -- March 24, 2005 - link broken 6/14/05
Quote from statement: "It is particularly appropriate that during this time when we remember and contemplate in our liturgies the suffering and death of our Lord, that we hold in prayer Terri Schiavo and her family in their suffering."
- Archbishop
Charles Chaput
Archdiocese of Denver
Statement
by Archbishop Chaput on the death of Terri Schiavo
-- March 31 , 2005
Statement by Archbishop Chaput on Terry Schiavo
March 22, 2005
"The bishops and lay faithful
of Florida have the task of leading American Catholics in the
Terri Schiavo case. They're working hard to provide that leadership.
Our job, outside Florida, is to support Ms. Schiavo and all those
concerned for her well-being with our prayers. We especially
need to pray for Ms. Schiavo's family.
"At the same time, in the
shadow of Holy Week and Easter, the Schiavo case does have wider
implications. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, has already expressed his fear
that allowing Ms. Schiavo to starve would be 'a grave step toward
the legal approval of euthanasia in the United States.' He speaks
for many other concerned persons around the world.
"Removing food and water
from a patient can only be justified if the person is terminal,
and natural death is imminent. For disabled persons not in imminent
danger of death and able to breathe on their own, starvation
and dehydration to provoke death amount, in effect, to a form
of murder. Such actions attack the sanctity of human life. They
reject any redemptive meaning to suffering. They can never be
justified."
+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
http://www.archden.org/archbishop/docs/03_22_05_ab_statement.htm
- Bishop
Matthew H. Clark
Diocese of Rochester
Statement of Bishop Matthew H. Clark "On the Death of Terri Schiavo" -- broken link 6/13/2005
Quote from Statement:
"In the days and weeks to come, all Catholics are encouraged to make an effort to more fully understand and contemplate our Church’s teachings on the dignity of every human life and to ensure that family members and health care providers know and understand their beliefs and wishes regarding their heath care."
- Archbishop
Elden F. Curtiss
Archdiocese of Omaha
Archbishop Elden F. Curtiss
Archdiocese of Omaha
Press Release -- March 24, 2005
Statement from Archbishop Elden F. Curtiss regarding Terri Schiavo:
The Vatican recently issued a
statement that Terri Schiavo is facing a cruel death if she is
denied nutrition and hydration. The action taken against Terri
last Friday by her estranged husband Michael, and tragically
upheld by the courts, can be viewed as nothing other than direct
euthanasia-an action which of itself and by intention causes
death, with the purported purpose of eliminating suffering. Direct
euthanasia is gravely immoral and contrary to the law of God,
since it offends the dignity of the human person and the respect
due to the Creator, the author of all life.
Until this week, Terri Schiavo
was not a person in the final stages of the dying process. Removal
of nutrition and hydration to such persons could be viewed as
legitimate, if, for example, the body was no longer able to process
the nutrition or if the continuation of such measures were excessively
burdensome to the sick person. Rather, Terri Schiavo is a profoundly
disabled person, who, like the rest of us, needs food and fluids
to survive.
A year ago, Pope John Paul II
addressed the situation of persons like Terri Schiavo in an address
to the participants in the International Congress on "Life-sustaining
Treatments and Vegetative State: Scientific Advances and Ethical
Dilemmas," noting explicitly that nutrition and hydration
must be provided, even if artificially delivered:
"The sick person in a vegetative
state, awaiting recovery or a natural end, still has the right
to basic health care (nutrition, hydration, cleanliness, warmth,
etc.), and to the prevention of complications related to his
confinement to bed. He also has the right to appropriate rehabilitative
care and to be monitored for clinical signs of eventual recovery.
I should like particularly to
underline how the administration of water and food, even when
provided by artificial means, always represents a natural means
of preserving life, not a medical act. Its use, furthermore,
should be considered, in principle, ordinary and proportionate,
and as such morally obligatory, insofar as and until it is seen
to have attained its proper finality, which in the present case
consists in providing nourishment to the patient and alleviation
of his suffering" (n. 4, emphasis in original).
As Terri undergoes her own journey
to Calvary this Holy Week, my thoughts and prayers are with Terri
and the Schindler family.
+Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss
http://www.archomaha.com/disablcom/Shiavo-Efc05.html
- Bishop
Nicholas DiMarzio
Bishop of Brooklyn
"Suffering
and Death Lead to Glory "
The Tablet -- April 2, 2005
found on the Diocese
of Brooklyn website
- Archbishop
Timothy Dolan
Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Archbishop
Dolan's Statement on the Death of Terri Schiavo
broken link 6/27/2005
-
- Archbishop
Emeritus John F. Donoghue
Atlanta Archdiocese
Statement
Concerning the Terri Schiavo Case
September 19, 2003
found on the Atlanta
Archdiocese Website
- Archbishop John C. Favalora
Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop's
statement on the death of Terri Schiavo -- March 31, 2005
Archbishop John C. Favalora Issues Statement Calling for Prayer
for Terri Schiavo
March 19, 2005
- Posted
March 3, 2005
Florida Bishops
Conference : Continued Concerns
for Terri Schiavo http://www.flacathconf.org/Health/Schaivo%20Statement%202-28-05.htm
Florida Bishops on Terri Schiavo http://www.flacathconf.org/health/#Concerning%20Terri%20Schiavo
Florida
Bishops Urge Safer Course for Terri Schiavo - August 28, 2003
Florida Bishops issued a statement 8/27/2003 regarding Terri
Schiavo's case.
Go to:
http://www.flacathconf.org/Publications/BishopsStatements/Bpst2000/TerriSchiavo.htm
- Bishop
David E. Foley
"Statement
on the Death of Terri Schindler Schiavo"
March 31, 2005
found on the Diocese of Birmingham website.
- Bishop
Joseph Galante
Bishop of Camden
Statement
of Bishop Joseph Galante, Bishop of Camden, "On the death
of Terri Schiavo" --
3/31/2005
Statement
of Bishop Joseph Galante on the Terri Schiavo case --
3/22/05
Statements found on the Camden Diocese website
- Bishop
Victor Galeone
Diocese of Saint Augustine
Statement
from Bishop Victor Galeone on the Death of Terri Schiavo
March 31, 2005
- Archbishop
Wilton Gregory
Archbishop of Atlanta
"Statement
of Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory regarding the Death of Terri
Schiavo"
Found on the Atlanta Archdiocese
website
- Archbishop
Alfred C. Hughes
Archdiocese of New Orleans
Death
and dying in Florida and in Rome
Clarion Herald Column April 6, 2005 Edition
Terri
Schiavo and a Probing Question About Life
Clarion Herald Column November 5 , 2003 Edition
- USCCB
Pro-Life Secretariat
DATE: March 31, 2005
FROM: William Ryan
O: 202-541-3200
H: 202-686-1824
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CARDINAL KEELER MOURNS TRAGIC DEATH OF TERRI SCHIAVO
WASHINGTON" Cardinal William
H. Keeler, chairman of the U.S. Bishops, Committee for Pro-Life
Activities, made the following statement today on the death of
Terri Schiavo.
We mourn the tragic death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, who died
today from dehydration and starvation.
Terri Schiavo's plight brought
to light a critical question: To be a society that is truly human,
how should we care for those most helpless patients who cannot
speak for themselves?
A year ago Pope John Paul II
answered this question, when he reaffirmed that "the administration
of food and water, even when provided by artificial means,"
should be considered "morally obligatory" as long as
it provides nourishment and alleviates suffering for such patients.
"Any man's death diminishes
me," said the poet John Donne, "because I am involved
in mankind." We are all diminished by this woman's death,
a death that speaks to the moral confusion we face today. Ours
is a culture in which human life is increasingly devalued and
violated, especially where that life is most weak and fragile.
We pray this human tragedy will
lead our nation to a greater commitment to protect helpless patients
and all the weakest among us. "Yes, every man is his 'brother's
keeper,'" as the Holy Father teaches "because God entrusts
us to one another" (The Gospel of Life, 19).
May the soul of Theresa Marie
Schindler Schiavo rest in the peace and mercy of God. And may
God have mercy on our society which failed to protect this innocent
human life.
Posted
March 14, 2005
Cardinal
Keeler Issues Statement on Florida Schiavo Case; Stresses Church
Teaching on Feeding, Hydration
USCCB Pro-Life Committee - Schiavo
statement March 9, 2005 [on the USCCB website]
- Bishop
John F. Kinney
Bishop of Saint Cloud
March 31, 2005
Bishop
Kinney offers prayers for Terri Schiavo and ailing Pope John
Paul II
- Bishop
Edward Kmiec
Diocese of Buffalo
"Statement
of Bishop Kmiec on the death of Terri Schiavo "
found on the Diocese website
-
Bishop John J. Leibrecht
Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau
Ethical Directives During Serious Illness
Walking Together
April 8, 2005
Recent publicity regarding Terri Schiavo occasioned many discussions regarding Catholic principles which can shed light on the care of seriously ill people. Those discussions will likely continue in the months ahead. Here are a few principles provided by the bishops of the United States:
• A person has a moral obligation to use ordinary or proportionate means of preserving his or her life. Proportionate means are those that in the judgment of the patient offer a reasonable hope of benefit and do not entail an excessive burden or impose excessive expense on the family or the community.
• A person may forgo extraordinary or disproportionate means of preserving life. Disproportionate means are those that in the patient’s judgment do not offer a reasonable hope of benefit or entail an excessive burden, or impose excessive expense on the family or the community.
• The free and informed judgment made by a competent adult patient concerning the use or withdrawal of life-sustaining procedures should always be respected and normally complied with, unless it is contrary to Catholic moral teaching.
• There should be a presumption in favor of providing nutrition and hydration to all patients, including patients who require medically assisted nutrition and hydration, as long as this is of sufficient benefit to outweigh the burdens involved to the patient.
The complete statement is online at http://home.catholicweb.com/diocspfdcape/index.cfm/NewsItem?ID=140763&From=newsarchive
- Bishop
Jerome E. Listecki
Bishop of LaCrosse
Bishop Listecki Speaks out
on Terri Schiavo
Statement
of the Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki on the Death of Terri
Schiavo -- March 31, 2005
Found on the LaCrosse
Diocese Website
- Bishop
Paul S. Loverde
Arlington Diocese
Bishop
Loverde's Statement on Terri Schiavo -- March 21, 2005
Bishop
Loverde on Terri Schiavo Death -- March 31, 2005
Both found on the Diocese
of Arlington's website
- Posted
March 3, 2005
Statement of Bishop Robert
N. Lynch http://www.dioceseofstpete.org/content.php?P=119
- Cardinal
Adam Maida
Archbishop of Detroit
Cardinal
Maida reacts to the Death of Terri Schiavo -- March 31, 2005
- Cardinal
Theodore E. McCarrick
Archbishop of Washington, DC
Cardinal
McCarrick on Terri Schiavo's Death
March 31, 2005
Cardinal
McCarrick on Terri Schiavo Case
March 21, 2005
- Bishop
John J. Nevins
Bishop of Venice
Statement
from Bishop John J. Nevins on the Death of Terri Schiavo, 3/31/05
- Bishop
John C. Nienstedt
Diocese of New Ulm
News Release #376
Released to media on March 23, 2005
"Terri Schiavo"
News
Release #377
Released to media on March 31, 2005
Death of Terri Schiavo
found on the New Ulm website
- Bishop
Anthony M. Pilla
Diocese of Cleveland
Statement
of Cleveland Bishop Anthony M. Pilla on the Death of Terri Schiavo
"Bishop Pilla Mourns Tragic Death of Terri Schiavo"
- Bishop
John H. Ricard
Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee
Statement
of Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, on the death of Terri Schiavo
March 31, 2005
- Posted
March 15, 2005
Cardinal
Justin Rigali's Statement Regarding the Case of Terri Schindler
Schiavo --March 14,
2005
Cardinal
Justin Rigali's Statement Regarding the Death of Terri Schindler
Schiavo -- March 31, 2005
Found on the Philadelphia Archdiocese
Website
- Diocese
of Scranton
Statement
on Death of Terri Schiavo
March 31, 2005
Press Release from the Office of Communications
- Bishop
Arthur Serratelli
Diocese of Paterson
Bishop
Serratelli's Weekly Column:
Courts Deal Death To Disabled: Terri Schiavo, End or Beginning?
April 12,2005
- Bishop
Michael J. Sheridan
Diocese of Colorado Springs
If
you want peace, choose life, January 7, 2005
- November
12, 2003
Bishop Robert F. Vasa, the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese
of Baker, Oregon issued a statement defending the right to life
of the severely disabled Florida woman.
http://www.cogforlife.org/schiavoVasa.htm
Epic battle brewing in Florida over value of 'imperfect'
life, 03/04/2005 Bishop Robert Vasa
http://www.sentinel.org/articles/2005-9/13661.html
- Posted
March 31, 2005
Bishop
Thomas G. Wenski:The Passion of Terri Schiavo
March 20, 2005
Bishop
Wenski's Column
Terri Schiavo - March 18, 2005
- Bishop
Donald W. Wuerl
Bishop of Pittsburgh
"Reflection
on Nutrution and Hydration"
Holy Week 2005
found on the Pittsburgh
Diocese website
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