Pope says elderly sick people have right to love, comfort

Published: 2007-11-19

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The elderly who are sick require and have a right to love, understanding and comfort both from church workers and from their family members, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Human life is a gift from God, and we are all called to safeguard it always," the pope said Nov. 17 during a meeting with participants in a Vatican conference on the pastoral care of the elderly who are sick. The Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry sponsored the Nov. 15-17 conference for chaplains, health care providers and theologians, with topics ranging from new medical treatments to pastoral care for aged priests. Pope Benedict told conference participants, "If it is true that life in each of its phases is worthy of maximum respect, in some ways it is even more true when life is marked by old age and illness." The challenge to pastoral workers and to family members of finding ways to care for and assist the elderly is increasing as the percentage of elderly people in many societies grows, he said.

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