Rome, Italy, Feb 9, 2009 / 09:26 am
The trial of conscience playing out across Italy over the case of Eluana Englaro, drew Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano into the debate last Friday, when he refused to sign an emergency decree preventing the removal of food and water from the woman. On Sunday, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone spoke with Napolitano about the case over the phone.
At the center of the debate surrounding "Italy’s Terri Schiavo" is whether or not her father, Beppino Englaro should be allowed to end her life by removing hydration and her feeding tube.
The Catholic Church teaches that patients who require extraordinary measures to stay alive do not need to be artificially sustained, but those who only require ordinary means, such as food and water, should not be deprived of these basic necessities.
The Vatican released a statement on Sunday saying that Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone spoke with President Napolitano in a "cordial telephone conversation" about Eluana Englaro’s case.