Benedict XVI: "Medicine is not a profession, but a mission"

More than 400 doctors and nurses gathered at the Vatican from November 15-17 for the conference titled "The Hospital, Setting for Evangelization: a Human and Spiritual Mission."

 

 

JAIME BUITRAGO

Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers

"We have achieved many goals. First off, we were able to reflect on our duties, on our mission as pastoral agents in the difficult world of pain and sickness. We bring people a bit of hope and calm during times as challenging as the prelude to death."

Benedict XVI closed off the conference, welcoming the participants at the Paul VI Hall.

BENEDICT XVI

"Anyone who chooses to work within the world of suffering, treating their work as a human and spiritual mission, requires higher competence, that goes beyond beyond academic titles. It is the Christian science of suffering."

The Pope asked them not to forget the value of dignity whenever they are with their patients. And so, he asked them to provide auxiliary care.

BENEDICT XVI

"Only by clearly focusing medical and healthcare activities on the well-being of man at his most fragile and defenseless, of man who searches for meaning in the unfathomable mystery of pain, can we conceive of hospitals as a place in which care is a mission and not merely an occupation."

Benedict XVI emphasized that now, more than ever, good Samaritans are needed because, according to him, "the measure of humanity is determined by its relationship to suffering."

 

Posted with permission from: http://internationalfiamc.blogspot.com.es/2012/11/benedict-xvi-medicine-is-not-profession.html (November 19, 2012, Romereports.com)

Abortion brings with it considerable risks

Research in Finland published in the journal “Human Reproduction” collected data from all 300,858 first-time mothers in Finland between 1996 and 2008, LifeNews.com reported on Sept.6. The results showed that women were three times more likely to have a very premature baby, born before 28 weeks, if they had had three or more abortions.
According to an analysis of the findings published by LifeNews.com and written by Dr. Peter Saunders, it is an important study, but by no means the first revealing such risks. He said there are “around 120 articles in the world literature already attesting to an association between abortion and premature birth.”

Nevertheless, the Finnish study carries a lot of weight due to the large number of women in it and also because it controlled for factors such as maternal age, socioeconomic level and various health factors. Similar results were found in another study also recently published. Lead researcher Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya, chair in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Aberdeen, and his colleagues studied how differing methods of abortion affected the future likelihood of premature births, the Medical Daily Web site reported on Sept. 5. They looked at the records of Scottish women from 1981 to 2007 and found that abortions increased the risk of giving birth prematurely in future pregnancies by an average of 37% compared to women who had never been pregnant before.

Complications

The study was presented at the British Science Festival. The risk of complications in future pregnancies rises with each abortion. As well, the research showed that having just one abortion brings with it a significant risk for the safety of later pregnancies. "We found that women who had an induced abortion in their first pregnancy were more at risk of maternal and perinatal risks in comparison with women who had had a live birth or no previous pregnancy," said Bhattacharya.
A further recent study, titled “Short and long term mortality rates associated with first pregnancy outcome: Population register based study for Denmark 1980–2004,” was published by David Reardon and Priscilla Coleman. They looked at the records of 463,473 women who had their first pregnancy between 1980 and 2004, of whom 2,238 died. “In nearly all time periods examined, mortality rates associated with miscarriage or abortion of a first pregnancy were higher than those associated with birth,” according to a summary of the study published by the Medical Science Monitor. Commenting on the risks of abortion for the Family Research Council, Jeanne Monahan pointed out that, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, at least 450 women have died in the United States as a result of abortion complications. Monahan added that this is a low estimate because many states do not report abortion data. This includes California, which, she noted accounts for approximately one-fifth of all abortions in the United States. She also commented on the risks from the use of chemical abortion, with the pharmaceutical RU-486. According to the Food and Drug Administration as of April 2011 (10 and a half years after RU-486 was approved in the U.S.), there were 2,207 adverse event reports on file with the government. This includes 612 hospitalizations, 339 blood transfusions and 11 deaths.

Maternal mortality

Additional information on the health risks of abortion came in an article published Sept. 6 by the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. According to Wendy Wright a study from Sri Lanka found that in developing countries widespread misuse of abortion “has led to partial or septic abortion thereby increasing maternal mortality and morbidity.” Further studies, carried out by the Association for Interdisciplinary Research in Values and Social Change, found that RU-486 has high complication rates, with greater medical risks to women in developing countries. In Vietnam, for example, one in four women who used RU-486 had to subsequently undergo a surgical abortion due to an incomplete result from the pharmaceutical. Wright put at 14 the number of women who have died in the United States as a result of using RU-486 since it was legalized. Nevertheless, the push to make RU-486 available continues. In Australia until now only a small number of doctors were authorized to administer it, but now pharmacies will be able to sell it following a decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian newspaper reported Aug. 31. In the past six years that RU-486 has been available in Australia, TGA figures show 792 cases of "adverse events" from the use of the drugs. “Women facing un-supported pregnancy should be offered real choices by our society, not a dangerous chemical to poison their unborn child,” commented Wendy Francis for the Australian Christian Lobby. A valid point not only for Australia but for other countries as well.

(September 21, 2012) © Innovative Media Inc.

The trivialization of euthanasia in Belgium

How Can We Accompany the Dying, and Those Who Suffer While Living Life? by Prof. Etienne Montero of the University of Namur, Belgium

Identical twins (monozygotic) Eddy and Marc Verbessem were born deaf. Inseparable and single, they had always lived together under the same roof. They were euthanized together at their request on Dec. 14, 2012, in the UZ Brussel (University hospital) in the borough of Jette. They were 45 years old.

Their request for euthanasia was based on a diagnosis of glaucoma, a degenerative condition of the optical nerve which can lead to blindness. According to our information (difficult to verify), they suffered from a genetic anomaly which would progressively but irremediably cause them to go blind. This, together with the idea of losing their independence, was unbearable for them.

The media presented this as a "first." There had never been a case of two brothers requesting and being granted joint euthanasia. There had, however, been instances of couples being euthanized together. Is this a case of infringement of the limits of the law on euthanasia?

Not necessarily. It is quite likely that all the conditions required by the law had been officially met. They no doubt made a voluntary and repeated request, free from any outside pressure. They based their case on an incurable medical condition and unbearable psychological suffering, stemming from the anticipation of future suffering linked to blindness and the loss of autonomy. As for the other necessary conditions, one may suppose that they were also met : various information to be provided, a second medical opinion to be sought, etc.

... Is this really the way in which society intends to deal with the distress and suffering of an ageing population or those who have become vulnerable due to illness or a handicap ?

See more at: ZENIT - 'Death Pact' and the Euthanasia of 45-Year-Old Twins

40 Years of the Culture of Death by Archbishop Samuel Aquila

I would like to share a very interesting testimony by Archbishop Samuel Aquila, the new archbishop of Denver, where he recalls his own personal experience with abortion.

"I went to college in 1968 with the idea of becoming a doctor, like my father," the archbishop begins.
He recounts how his first three years of college were spent working as a hospital orderly: "At that time, some states had approved abortion laws that I wasn't even aware of. Because of those laws, when I was in college I witnessed the results of two abortions.
"The first was in a surgical unit. I walked into an outer room and in the sink, unattended, was the body of small unborn child who had been aborted. I remember being stunned. I remember thinking that I had to baptize that child.
"The second abortion was more shocking. A young woman came into the emergency room screaming. She explained that she had had an abortion already. When the doctor sent her home, he told her she would pass the remains naturally. She was bleeding as the doctor, her boyfriend, the nurse and I placed her on a table.
"I held a basin as the doctor retrieved a tiny arm, a tiny leg and then the rest of the broken body of a tiny unborn child. I was shocked. I was saddened for the mother and child, for the doctor and the nurse. None of us would have participated in such a thing were it not an emergency. I witnessed a tiny human being destroyed by violence."
Archbishop Aquila said the memories of those events haunt him. "In the abortions I witnessed, powerful people made decisions that ended the lives of small, powerless, children. Through lies and manipulation, children were seen as objects."
"I witnessed the death of two small people who never had the chance to take a breath," the prelate wrote. "I can never forget that. And I have never been the same. My faith was weak at the time. But I knew by reason, and by what I saw, that a human life was destroyed."

See more at: ARCHBISHOP AQUILA: 40 Years of the Culture of Death

World AIDS Day

Today marks World AIDS Day, a time for the global community to recognize the widespread impact of HIV/AIDS. I would like to share with my readers some useful comments by Christopher White, which I think truly describe the "core" of the AIDS problem. Here are some of White's comments:"Last year’s November publication of Light of the World, the book length interview with Pope Benedict XVI by Peter Seewald, set off a media frenzy over claims that the Catholic Church had changed its position on condoms. Critics of Church teaching quickly used the occasion to remark that the archaic institution just might be catching up to the rest of the world, while some ill-informed Catholics began to fear that the elderly Pope might be suffering an onset of dementia and was single-handedly reversing Church teaching on sexual ethics. The truth, however, is that the Roman pontiff was doing neither of those things. One year later, on the occasion of World AIDS Day, I believe it’s helpful to revisit just what the Pope had to say about condom usage and the HIV/AIDS crisis and how we can best respond.

The commemoration of World AIDS Day is an initiative that emerged from the World Health Organization (WHO) and was first celebrated in 1988. The goal of the day, according to its organizers at UNAIDS and the WHO is to provide “an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died.” According to data from the WHO, 33.3 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2009, with about 2.6 million people being newly infected and 1.8 million dying from the disease that year.

To a large extent, World AIDS Day has become a kind of World Condom Day. For many, it’s still hard to forget the images of the large obelisk in the center of Buenos Aires that was covered with a giant “condom” on World AIDS Day in 2005. Based on a 2004 report widely considered to be the most authoritative study on the effectiveness of condom usage in preventing HIV/AIDS, when condoms are used consistently, they provide an 80 percent risk reduction in HIV infection. This is where the finger gets pointed at the Catholic Church. If condoms are 80 percent effective, shouldn’t the Church—as her critics claim—be fully supportive of doing anything possible, including promoting condoms, as a real solution to stop the spread of HIV?

In Light of the World, Seewald asks Benedict to respond to the claim that “Critics, including critics from the Church’s own ranks, object that it is madness to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms.” The ensuing controversy around the Pope’s remarks focused on a singular statement that: “There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where a first assumption of responsibility, on the way toward recovering an awareness that not everything is allowed and that one cannot do whatever one wants.” Meanwhile, his following sentences were ignored by almost all major accounts of the interview: “But it is not really the way to deal with the evil of HIV infection. That can really lie only in a humanization of sexuality. . . . She [the Church] does not regard it as a real or moral solution.”

This “humanization of sexuality” was precisely the focus of the Pope’s remarks on the HIV/AIDS crisis. For Benedict, and the Church at large, responses to HIV/AIDS must address the needs of the entire person—and this is exactly what does not happen when one is reduced only to his or her biological capacities. This is why Benedict was also quick to point out that the Catholic Church has done more than anyone else to help with the crisis—either through its hospitals that provide on the ground contact with those suffering from the disease or be it through orphanages that care for the children who have been left parentless from the pandemic.

If, according to the Church, condoms are not the solution, what then is a proper response that respects the dignity of all persons affected by the disease? Lessons can be learned from the “ABC” approach that led to the steep decline of infections during the nineties in Uganda. “ABC” stands for Abstinence–Be Faithful–Condom Usage. This is a tiered response that focuses first and most importantly on prevention. Abstinence allows individuals to avoid risk entirely, and then as a secondary next step, being faithful focuses on avoiding multiple, concurrent partners and practicing fidelity. As a last resort, condom usage is named—though not as a solution, but instead, as a means of harm reduction—not risk avoidance (which is possible if the first two options are followed). Unfortunately, agencies such as UNAIDS are wary to call on individuals and communities to focus on behavior change and have spent the last thirty years of the crisis avoiding the real issues. For Benedict and the Church, an 80 percent success rate in preventing HIV infection is not enough. This number fails to recognize that all persons are worth protecting—and that all persons have the ability to take the necessary steps to achieve 100 percent risk avoidance. Benedict’s call to a “real humanization of sexuality” may seem out of touch with reality, but hard facts and science are on his side. Even the Centers for Disease Control notes that “Condom use cannot provide absolute protection against HIV. The surest way to avoid transmission of HIV is to abstain from sexual intercourse or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner.” Until 80 percent reaches 100 percent, the Church will refuse to accept such piecemeal solutions to the problem. On this World AIDS Day, let’s hope the rest of the world will demand the same."

More at The Catholic Church and World AIDS Day | First Things - http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2011/12/the-catholic-church-and-world-aids-day

Christopher White is the International Director of Operations for the World Youth Alliance, an NGO headquartered in New York City that works to promote human dignity in policy and culture.

*See also report by the Administrative Board of the U.S. Catholic Conference: "The Many Faces of AIDS: A Gospel Response" or by US Conference of Catholic Bishops: "Called to Compassion and Responsibility: A Response to the HIV/AIDS Crisis in 1989".

Thank you and RIP to John Kavanaugh, SJ

I just found that Fr. John Kavanaugh, SJ., my PhD chosen author and philosophy professor at Saint Louis University, died this month in St. Louis. He was 71. He was a writer, theologian, philosopher and teacher of deep skill and pedagogical sensitivity. He will be deeply missed. He taught me well about man, life and embodiment and interconnections. Thank you Father! RIP.

"I have copied below Fr. Kavanaugh's obituary from the St. Louis city newspaper, the Post-Dispatch for those of you who knew or never met Fr.Kavanaugh.

Rev. John Kavanaugh dies at 71; acclaimed philosopher and eloquent preacher at St. Louis University. The Rev. John Kavanaugh spent part of his year of prayer as a young Jesuit priest working in Calcutta for Mother Teresa. She took him to the House of the Dying, a former temple she had converted to a home for women and men found dying on the streets. Father Kavanaugh washed and fed those patients, most of whom would never leave the facility alive. He recalled how he and others had tried but failed to help a man who was close to death. But when Mother Teresa took the man's face in her hands, his eyes opened and she was able to engage him. She had a powerful ability to connect with the poor.

It was a transforming experience for the young Jesuit, Father Kavanaugh recalled later. He went on to become an acclaimed philosophy professor at St. Louis University and an eloquent preacher who delivered powerful homilies. He gained attention for his opposition to the death penalty and the war in Iraq. The Rev. John Francis Kavanaugh died Monday (Nov. 5, 2012) at St. Louis University Hospital. He had been on medical leave from the university while doctors tried to determine the cause of a mysterious blood disease he had come down with earlier this year, his order said Tuesday. Father Kavanaugh specialized in the study of ethics. He taught a course in medical ethics and founded the Ethics Across the Curriculum program at the university to help faculty members incorporate ethics into their own studies and courses. He wrote an ethics column for the Jesuit publication "America Magazine." Earlier this year, his column described how both political parties had become rigid and "driven by the rhetoric of extremists." He had voted for "the hope" promised by Barack Obama four years ago, he wrote. He was disgusted, he said, with those who he said had slandered Obama with outright lies. But he went on to condemn the president for his use of drone missiles "and the horror they bring to innocent people." He compared it to torture and rewriting the principles of a just war. He concluded by suggesting that he couldn't vote for either the Democrat nor the Republican and planned to write in a third candidate.

Father Kavanaugh was reared in St. Louis and was ordained a priest in 1971. He earned a degree in philosophy at St. Louis University and a doctorate at Washington University in 1974. The next year, he went to India for a year of tertianship -- prayer, reflection and service. He returned in 1976 to St. Louis University, where he spent the next 36 years. He became the spiritual guiding force for generations of young Jesuits. He wrote books and syndicated columns on consumerism, advertising, faith and culture. His most famous book, "Following Christ in a Consumer Society," was first published in 1981 and was reissued twice. In 2001, he opposed the death penalty for Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh saying, "we will have become just a little more like him." Father Kavanaugh was a soccer player at St. Louis University High School and a handball fanatic. He played the guitar and performed traditional ballads with a half-dozen members of his family who traced their roots to the counties Galway, Kerry and Mayo in Ireland."

* More at http://www.americamagazine.org/content/column.cfm?id=25 ; http://www.slu.edu/x68221.xml.

Neuroscience for Kids

Just recently found this site "Neuroscience for Kids" that has been created for all students and teachers who would like to learn about the nervous system. I think this is great site to learn more about the exciting world of the brain, spinal cord, neurons and the senses. Neuroscience for Kids" is maintained by Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D. and was supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (R25 RR12312) from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR). More you can find at

Every human life is beautiful, every human life is precious!

With last Sunday’s Day for Life in Ireland the Church began a month of prayer dedicated to the theme ‘Choose Life!’ Parishes and individuals will be invited to pray a special ‘Prayer for the Child in the Womb’ during Masses from October 7 through to the Feast of All the Saints of Ireland on 6 November, a press release for the campaign explained. The bishops also published a pastoral message entitled: “Every human life is beautiful, every human life is precious - Choose Life!” It highlights the equal right to life of a mother and the child in her womb, and the right of each to be treated as individual persons. “When we say that human life is sacred we are recognising something that is sensed not only by religious people but by everyone who appreciates the wonder of human life,” the letter explained. “By virtue of their common humanity, the lives of both a mother and her unborn baby are sacred,” the letter insisted. “If our concern for human rights is to mean anything, it must include concern for the most basic human right of all – the right not to be killed,” the letter continued. It also noted that this year’s annual Day for Life coincides with a decisive moment for Ireland. In the coming weeks, the Government will decide how to respond to a 2010 judgment of the European Court of Human Rights. “Despite what some have asserted, the Irish Government is under no obligation to legislate for abortion because of this ruling of the European Court,” the letter stated. “On the contrary, our Government is free to respond by seeking full protection in Irish law for the right to life of the baby in the womb. This could be done while ensuring that women in pregnancy continue to receive every treatment necessary to safeguard their lives,” the letter said.

Summary of key points from Choose Life: From the moment of conception, every human life is beautiful, every human life is precious and every human life is sacred. Government does not have to provide for abortion in Ireland to comply with the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights. Legislating for abortion denies the humanity and dignity of the child in the womb and violates the most basic human right of all – the right to life. It is never necessary to target the life of the baby in the womb to save the life of the mother. Ireland, without abortion, is consistently one of the safest countries in the world in which to be pregnant. Many women who have had abortions speak of their deep regret, and research also confirms the harm that abortion can cause women. International experience shows that once abortion is legalised, even in apparently very limited situations, it becomes more widespread than was first intended. ---

Choose Life: Prayer for the Child in the Womb Lord Jesus, you are the source and lover of life. Reawaken in us respect for every human life. Help us to see in each child the marvellous work of our Creator. Open our hearts to welcome every child as a unique and wonderful gift. Guide the work of doctors, nurses and midwives. May the life of a mother and her baby in the womb be equally cherished and respected. Help those who make our laws to uphold the uniqueness and sacredness of every human life, from the first moment of conception to natural death. Give us wisdom and generosity to build a society that cares for all. Together with Mary, your Mother, in whose womb you took on our human nature, Help us to choose life in every decision we take. We ask this in the joyful hope of eternal life with you, and in the communion of the Blessed Trinity. Amen. ---

www: Choose Life Web site - http://www.chooselife2012.ie/ --- Source: http://www.zenit.org/article-35685?l=english

What is meant by the term "Culture of Life"?

What is meant by the term "Culture of Life"? A "culture" is the living expression of a particular society's set of values. So a "culture of life" would be the lived expression of a society that values human life, respects human intrinsic dignity, and protects the inalienable rights of all human persons from conception to natural death. Being pro-life is much more than just opposing legalized abortion, it's about promoting a "Culture of Life."Blessed John Paul II coined the term "Culture of Life" to underline the need to bring pro-life convictions to every aspect of life and society. That living expression would be widely apparent in popular art, music, literature, and media. It would be reflected in that society's laws, political policies, and educational institutions. And it would (with rare exception) be naturally absorbed into the attitudes and habits of its citizens. Blessed Pope John Paul II originally coined the term "culture of life." It's a great term because it points to our responsibility to bring our personal pro-life convictions into every aspect of culture. When the culture is pro-life, people's hearts will follow. But the opposite is also true. A society that promotes a Culture of Life would work to protect life in all its stages. Well, for one, the population in general would view abortion and euthanasia as fundamental evils, and our default drive as individuals would be to protect the lives of other innocent and vulnerable people above our own needs and wants. Most people would believe that real happiness and success is found in making a positive difference to others above ourselves, and finding fulfillment through the unconditional love of God. Love would be defined as a sacrificial gift of ourselves to others. Freedom would be seen as a condition that liberates us to pursue what is truly good and reject what is evil. People would understand that there is an objective reality to right and wrong, and that to break the rules of right and wrong will damage individuals as well as the whole society. All of this would obviously affect the way that the media reports on issues like abortion, cloning, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and physician-assisted suicide. The presumption would be that these things are obstacles to a happy and successful life, and contrary to love and freedom. All forms of artistic and literary expression in that culture would treat the unborn, the elderly, the disabled, and the terminally ill as full and worthy members of the human family. Political policies and laws would begin with the presumption that unborn children at all stages of development are full human persons, and that abortion is a fundamental violation of the inalienable right to life. Roe vs. Wade would have to be overturned and replaced with laws that equally protect unborn life. Assisted suicide and euthanasia would have to be summarily rejected as violations of human freedom, dignity, and rights. Resource: http://www.aleteia.org/questions/entry/what-is-meant-by-the-term-culture-of-life#supportAnchor2