VATICAN - The Holy Father receives in audience participants at International Conference promoted by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral care of the healthcare workers and the sick on the topic: “Palliative treatment”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - This morning in the Paul VI Hall in the Vatican Pope John Paul II granted a special audience to participants at an international conference promoted by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Care of the healthcare workers and the sick which is reflecting on the topic: “Palliative treatment”. In his address the Holy Father underlined the fact that medicine is at the service of life. As the Encyclical Evangelium vitae states, “"methods of palliative care", seek to make suffering more bearable in the final stages of illness and to ensure that the patient is supported and accompanied in his or her ordeal” (n. 65). The Pope said palliative care seeks to alleviate, especially in the terminally ill patient, a vast range of symptoms of physical, psychic and mental suffering and therefore demands the intervention of a team of specialists with medical, psychological and religious competence, working together to support patients at the critical stage”.
The Pope mentioned euthanasia and said “one of the tragedies caused by a type of ethics which claims it can decide who lives and who dies, is euthanasia. Even when motivated by sentiments of a mistaken interpretation of compassion or wrongly understood dignity to be protected, instead of saving the person from suffering, euthanasia suppresses the person”, and “Rejection of heroic treatment is not rejection of the patient and his or her life”.
Pope John Paul II ended his address by stressing the importance of health pastoral and he said “the Church intends continue to offer her specific contribution offering the sick human and spiritual care”.


(AP) (12/11/2004 Agenzia Fides; Righe:25; Parole:296)