Cardinal joins with Florida bishops in statement on Schiavo case

Published: 2005-03-10

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities joined with the Florida bishops March 9 in calling for the continuation of any medical treatment or care that could benefit Terri Schindler Schiavo, the brain-damaged Florida woman who has been at the center of a legal battle over removal of the feeding tube that is keeping her alive. The statement from Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore came nine days before the court-imposed deadline for the woman to be taken off the tube. Michael Schiavo -- who remains legally married to Terri Schiavo but now has two children with another woman -- says his wife would want the feeding tube removed. Her parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, say their daughter would want to live, in part because of her Catholic beliefs. The cardinal said he, like the Florida bishops, prayed "that those who hold power over Terri Schindler Schiavo's fate will see that she 'continues to receive nourishment, comfort and loving care.'"

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