Society should support families caring for terminally ill, pope says

Published: 2008-02-25

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Society and labor laws should give concrete support to family members so they can attend to terminally ill loved ones, Pope Benedict XVI said. While guarantees must be made for all people to receive necessary medical care, special provisions also must be put into place for the patient's family members, he said. The pope made his comments during a Feb. 25 audience with more than 300 participants in a Vatican-sponsored congress on the pastoral needs of and ethical obligations toward the terminally ill. Titled "Close By the Incurable Sick Person and the Dying: Scientific and Ethical Aspects," the Feb. 25-26 congress brought together caregivers, medical specialists and scholars in the fields of theology, law and bioethics. The international congress was organized by the Pontifical Academy for Life and was held to coincide with the Lourdes jubilee year, marking the 150th anniversary of Mary's appearance to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France.

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