Posted on 03/29/2005 11:26:11 AM PST by repubzilla
Just listening to Rush and a special report came over the radio and the reporter said that Pope may be given a feeding tube.
It is my understanding that the Church allows for the removal of a feeding tube, if the patient is dying and has no chance to recover from his or her illness. However, water must always still be given. You cannot deny a patient water, even if they have decided to not eat anymore. It may prolong life by a day or two, but at least the person will not die horribly dehydrated.
In Terri Schiavo's case, even though she may not have ever recovered her full faculties, she was NOT dying, and was on no other life support than just feeding through the tube. Removal of that was bad enough, but denying her food and water given the normal way was just HEINOUS!
The Bishop in Pinellas County, where Terri is, is the ONLY Bishop in FL who is not fighting this. All the others issued a statement weeks ago in opposition to her being starved to death.
Don't be silly. The Pope has spoken up for Terri as much as he's spoken for convicted killers. What else would you have him do, order the Swiss Guard to storm the hospice? He is doing the best he can, that is calling for prayer for Terri, and a change of heart to those who are killing her.
HUH? Father Drinan, and Cardinal Cushing were around and active in politics LONG before John Paul II was made Pope.
It'a almost like a fable. How can this be actually happening in life?
Thanks -- I just had vague memories of, well, you know . . .
THanks for the correction. I meant Archbishop O'Malley and Cardinal Bernard Law.
Silly? The only silliness is the outcome of a papacy that has given up so much of its patrimony without much outcry from the faithful.
You might be right about the convicted killer part. But a pope defending them is not what popes are for. The pope should not protect the lives of those who endeavor to demolish civilization. (Nor should he play kissy-face with representatives of all manner of false religions, but that's another thread.) The pope should, however, protect the lives of the most defensless innocents. That's the point here.
Apparently you missed my response to this same kind of rejoinder, #109:
The Pope CAN do something for Terri. He can command the local bishop in Florida to clean up his act, pronto. But he does not. Why? Because it would involve agressive leadership to protect the Faith of Catholics, and would require him backing up his action with penalties and consequences if the bishop blows him off. It's not going to happen. It hasn't happened for 26 years and he's in no condition to start a new agenda now.
The jurisdiction of the pope (regarding the Faith) is worldwide. That is Catholic dogma, even if you and everyone else in the world "disagrees." God agrees, and that's all that matters. It is part of divine revelation, but we would all be in the dark if it hadn't been cleared up nearly 900 years ago. That is also what popes are for.
Yes, the Vatican spoke out. Why should the bishop in Florida pay any attention to that? He'll do like Judgenfuhrer Greer* did to President Bush and the Congress: IGNORE THEM! That's what the bishops did to Pope Paul VI in response to Humanae Vitae, which dealt with life issues. The bishops continue to ignore JPII in other matters. Why? No consequences. Period.
Am I the only one seeing the pattern? But guess what: the bishops were ignoring the Pope before the judiciary in the USA was ignoring the Congress. The errors of the world grow from seeds that sprout in the midst of the Church.
And don't forget Kosovo. (Confer #108)
*Judgenfuhrer Greer: see Part 7 - EASTER SUNDAY -NO FOOD OR WATER 10-11TH DAYS- SHE'S FIGHTING TO LIVE [Schiavo] - #55
Good observation. And modern critics of Scripture say that since the things described there are so unlikely and unscientific, they must not have occurred, and are therefore fables. They call it "demythologizing Scripture."
The Pope could come over and do cartwheels in front of the hospice too, for all the good it would do. Whether the Bishop in Terri's diocese is faithful or an abject fool, it has nothing to do with the legal plight that caused the situation Terri is in.
The Pope speaks out on Capital Punishment because he believes in a consistent ethic of life. At the same time, he understands that he cannot prevent countries from carrying out death sentences because the Church recognizes that countries are sovereign nations and the Vatican has no right meddling in their internal affairs.
The Pope is gracious ( I wouldn't call it kissy faced) to the leaders of all world religions. To do otherwise would risk the lives of Catholics in nations whose leaders are not so gracious. This was the main reason he was against the war in Iraq. He was concerned for the plight of the Chaldean Catholics and the Assyrian Christians if there were all out war. Fortunately, he understood the President's desires that the war not involved citizens as much as possible.
The Pope cannot protect the lives of anyone. He can only encourage WE who are closer to the situation to do all we can to protect the innocent. The Pope's jurisdiction on Dogma is worldwide, however that is irrelevant to the Schiavo case. The courts have determined that her due process has not been violated, and that her husband is the sole determiner of her fate. I think it stinks, but there is nothing I, or the Pope, for that matter, can do about it.
What we can try to do is have our legislators write laws to protect the disabled from being killed by their 'guardians', especially in the absence of clear instructions of the sick person, and protect spouses from the other spouse who may have glaring conflicts of interest when it comes to determining their medical treatment. We can also work to make sure that the judges who are appointed are men and women of good moral character, though, when they are presented with such narrow cases as were presented on behalf of Terri, there isn't a lot they can do.
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And a Prayer Ping for the Pope, too!
Did he get ruling from greer on that?
=== So, you think they'll leave it in for 15 years?
The Pope -- unlike Terri Schiavo -- appears to be contemplating a feeding tube out of NECESSITY.
Terri's tube was inserted -- and removed -- at the behest of her legal guardian, Michael Schiavo.
Indian nations don't have their own foreign policy, the Holy See does. It's even got a mercenary "army" of sorts, and a darn fine intelligence service too.
That's a far cry from saying he should starve to death.
=== A belief in the continued dogma re: artificial birth control should preclude non-flesh, blood, bone, et. al. devices to extend life.
How are these connected?
What does the provision of refreshment and sustenance to the dying have to do with denying God's will by divesting sex from procreation?
Funded by atheist George Soros.
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