Vatican City, Feb 25, 2008 / 09:01 am
Pope Benedict received participants in an international congress entitled: "Close by the Incurable Sick Person and the Dying: Scientific and Ethical Aspects" today and reiterated that the Church is against all forms of euthanasia.
The event which brought the specialists to the Vatican is being promoted by the Pontifical Academy for Life as part of their general assembly. The gathering will take place in the Vatican over the coming days.
Reflecting on the moment of death, the Pope said that it “concludes the experience of earthly life, but through death there opens for each of us, beyond time, the full and definitive life. ... For the community of believers, this encounter between the dying person and the Source of Life and Love represents a gift that has a universal value, that enriches the communion of the faithful".
This moment of encounter, the Holy Father emphasized should draw the community along with close relatives around the dying person in support as they face the last moments of their life. "No believer", he said, "should die alone and abandoned".